Queen Camilla renews commitment to children’s literacy

Queen Camilla has renewed her commitment to supporting children’s literacy to mark her 79th birthday.

An announcement was made that every Year 6 and P6 child across the UK will be gifted a special edition of the bestselling book Impossible Creatures by award-winning author Katherine Rundell for Christmas. This will be delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. Queen Camilla is the royal patron of the National Literacy Trust.

The Queen’s Christmas Present will celebrate the National Year of Reading 2026, a campaign to inspire every child, young person, and adult to discover the joy of reading.

Each book will have a specially designed royal stamp on the cover and a personal message from Queen Camilla inside, an extract from which reads: “Impossible Creatures, by one of my favourite writers, is a brilliant fantasy that will introduce you to a host of mythical friends and terrifying enemies… and I hope that you will love it as much as I do.”

Award-winning author and National Year of Reading ambassador, Katherine Rundell, said, “I’m so immensely honoured that Her Majesty The Queen has chosen Impossible Creatures as her Christmas Gift to every child in Year 6. Her gift is given at the best possible time. This is the National Year of Reading, a celebration and reminder that the things that reading gives us – creative imagination, intellectual freedom, critical thinking, ethical compassion, good jokes, delight in great ideas – must be at the heart of our future and our democracy. This generation of brilliant kids face extraordinary challenges ahead; and books, if we ensure they have access to them, will be their strongest and sharpest tools with which to build a future. I’m thrilled to be part of a project which has at its heart the power of shared stories and shared ideas.”

Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said, “Reading unlocks children’s imagination, sparks their curiosity and brings unrivalled benefits for their futures. With the invaluable support of our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, and Katherine Rundell, we are incredibly proud to be celebrating the National Year of Reading by bringing the gift of reading to every year 6 and P6 child in the UK this Christmas – and beyond.”