‘Reading is cool’: Queen Camilla honoured with doctorate for promoting literacy

Queen Camilla, who heads the Royal Family and King Charles, has been recognised for promoting literacy and literature. During a ceremony at the University of London, she received an honorary doctorate of literature from her sister-in-law, Princess Anne.

The event occurred as part of the university’s Foundation Day, a tradition dating back to 1903.

Camilla, dressed in ceremonial red and brown robes, was celebrated for her lifelong dedication to advancing reading and education. She has actively supported literacy programmes across the Commonwealth, visiting schools, workplaces and prisons to witness the impact of adult literacy schemes, according to PA Media.

Camilla also patronises several organisations, including the National Literacy Trust and BookTrust. Her initiative, The Queen’s Reading Room, began as an online book club in 2021 and later evolved into a charity promoting the joys of reading.

During the ceremony, Princess Anne, who has been the university’s chancellor since 1981, praised the recipients as “remarkable individuals” and leaders in their fields. Camilla joined a formal procession into William Beveridge Hall, where the honorary degrees were presented.

Sir Mark Lowcock, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, highlighted Camilla’s passion for reading.

‘Reading is cool’

“No one, I think, better captured the joy to be found in literature than Her Majesty when she said, and I quote, ‘Reading is exciting, reading is fun, reading is cool. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of opening a book and being drawn into another world to meet new people and to discover their stories. It’s like making new friends’,” PA Media quoted Lowcock as saying.

Camilla, with a hood over her hair, received her diploma scroll after kneeling before Princess Anne. Then, they shook hands, and the diploma scroll was handed over to King Charles' wife.

The ceremony also honoured other distinguished individuals in fields such as law, medicine and social sciences.