clarence book review club

• Chosen by Her Majesty
• Recommendations
• Weekly Picks
• The Queen’s Reading Room Roundtables
• Treasures from the library

WELCOME to the QUEEN'S READING ROOM

The charity and book club of Her Majesty Queen Camilla, championing literature in the UK and beyond.

With their extraordinary power to educate and inspire, books – from authors around the globe – have enriched my life since I was a child. It has therefore been such a joy to watch my Reading Room grow over the years into a thriving book community. Now a charity, I hope that we, together with our partners, can foster in adults and children alike a lifelong love of literature and connect more people with that special magic that can only be found in the leaves of a book. ~ Her Majesty Queen Camilla

The Queen’s Reading Room is the charity working to celebrate and promote the power and benefits of reading and is on a mission to help more people find and connect with books which enrich their lives.

It was formed from Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s book club, which launched in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The club quickly grew into a global online community, as we shared unique insights and conversations with authors selected by The Former Duchess of Cornwall.

Soon, we began to hear from people around the world – telling us that reading was making their lives better – and reinforcing our belief that books make us happier, healthier and better connected by boosting our mental health, brain health and social connectedness.

As a charity, we produce accessible, free educational content around literature 365 days a year through our social channels and website; as well as literary festivals and events; research and campaigns. Join us in reading the selected books each season, or delve into this website to discover reading recommendations , author interviews, never-before-seen archive and lots more. Find out more here and discover interviews with The Queen on her passion for books.

Discover more

The queen’s reading room study.

The Queen’s Reading Room Podcast

The queen’s reading room podcast is a place for book lovers – and those who wish they loved literature a little more – to be inspired by the bookish confessions of global literary heroes. authors from all over the world have shared their own literary treasures with us; revealing their favourite writers, most treasured books and earliest reading memories. this series delves into the homes and hearts of the authors that we love the most..

Marian Keyes

Dermot O’Leary

Malorie Blackman

Kate Atkinson

Min Jin Lee

Louise Kennedy

Bernardine Evaristo

What we’re reading now, join the queen’s book club.

Themes we’ve explored

Watch online

The queen’s reading room festival 2023.

Friends of The Queen’s Reading Room Recommend

Stay on your reading journey and be inspired by reading recommendations from your favourite authors and these lovers of literature.

His Majesty King Charles III

Kazuo Ishiguro

Elif Shafak

Treasures from the library, explore some of the uk’s most important and rarely seen books and manuscripts.

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

The bodleian library.

Alfred Tennyson, Poems

Windsor castle library.

Jane Austen, Volume the First

King Charles I’s copy of Shakespeare

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: How Watson Learned the Trick

Dickens: To Be Read At Dusk

One of Queen Victoria’s favourites: Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist

Henry VIII’s Bible

French Psalter: a poem by Princess Elizabeth

Books keep our minds fresh and our hearts open.

There is perhaps no greater exercise in empathy than reading a book: placing oneself in another’s shoes, travelling the world and meeting its people. Reading teaches us the value and power of our imagination, as our minds paint pictures to the words and conjure new worlds we may never have dreamed of. And when we realise that power, young or old, who knows what we can achieve. Finding a great book is special; but coming together over a shared love of a story is a very precious thing indeed.

Check out our Books page for stories to make your soul soar, expand your horizons, or simply provide a gentle comfort in times when the world seems dark. Read along with us on our Instagram page, where writers and readers interact, where the reading experience is enriched by education, and where the love of a great story is shared.

Exploring the life and works of

Agatha christie.

Children’s book recommendations

Hrh the princess of wales.

Online exclusive interview:

Elena ferrante.

Conversations with Her Majesty The Queen

Judi Dench & Gyles Brandreth

Why is reading important.

Hilary Mantel & Philippa Gregory

How to research a historical novel, have books recommended to you, sign up for our newsletter, choose up to three categories, add your details.

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Find your next book, click on each book to access background and exclusive content to enrich your reading experience. enjoy interviews with authors, historians, academics and experts..

By Robert Harris

by Robert Harris

The House of Doors

By tan twan eng.

by Tan Twan Eng

Mapp and Lucia

By e. f. benson.

by E. F. Benson

By Geraldine Brooks

by Geraldine Brooks

By Min Jin Lee

by Min Jin Lee

Some Experiences of an Irish R. M.

By edith somerville & martin ross.

by Edith Somerville & Martin Ross

By Ann Patchett

by Ann Patchett

By Sarah Winman

by Sarah Winman

I Capture the Castle

By dodie smith.

by Dodie Smith

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