Queen Camilla celebrates ‘magic of storytelling’ in star-studded launch of new national reading medal

Austen and aliens might not be the most obvious literary line-up – but they were all present, in one way or another, as Queen Camilla launched a new national honour to celebrate the unsung heroes of reading.

From Sense and Sensibility to Alien actor Sigourney Weaver, storytelling took centre stage at Clarence House on Tuesday evening, as the Queen’s Reading Room marked its fourth anniversary with the unveiling of its most ambitious project yet: a medal to spotlight the community champions keeping the joy of books alive – one borrowed paperback, library visit or local book club at a time.

Weaver, Dame Joanna Lumley, Helena Bonham Carter, Adjoa Andoh, Richard E Grant and Jonathan Dimbleby, were all in attendance at the star-studded event, to show their support for the initiative.

Authors including The Secret History’s Donna Tartt, Alex Rider creator Anthony Horowitz, Life After Life author Kate Atkinson, crime writer Peter James, and Raven Black author Ann Cleeves, were also present.

Welcoming guests at the reception, the Queen entered with her husband King Charles as she celebrated the “magic of storytelling”. She said the act of reading is not a solitary affair but that its impact “lies in its ability to make a community of anyone who loves to read and who is compelled to write.”

She added: “Through literature, we experience life through another’s eyes, we are comforted, strengthened. We laugh, we cry, we travel to different lands, and we escape the real world.

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“In short, books, and those who create them, make life better, much better – so thank you. We see firsthand the impact stories have on how we understand and articulate the world both as we find it, and as we dream it to be.”

The Reading Room reaches 12 million people across 173 countries through its reading advocacy which includes a podcast, research initiatives, and an annual literary festival drawing tens of thousands of visitors.

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Honouring the UK’s “reading heroes”, the Medal hopes to “recognise those individuals championing books and storytelling in their communities”.

Nominees will include people who have set up community reading groups, improved access to local libraries, donated books to those in need, or organised local literary festivals. Applications for the accolade will open on 1 April, with the first award winners to be announced in March 2026.

“We passionately believe that books are for everyone, and we want to try and get as many people engaged in reading whether its a beach read or the latest title, it really doesn't matter, it's about engaging in stories,” CEO Vicky Perrin told The Independent.

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Sharing her support for the Medal, Alien actor Weaver told The Independent: “I can’t imagine my life without books. What the Queen has done started so small, but it's taken off because people need books now more than ever.”

Bridgerton actor Andoh, who also works closely with the King’s Trust and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature said: “We are losing access to libraries and the Queen has created a great community encouraging reading across the world.”

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Margolyes echoed the other stars saying that the source of hatred and division was a lack of empathy and reading books could be a much-needed salve. “Reading allows us to inhabit another world, and see things through other people’s eyes,” she said.

There was also a display marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, featuring rare items from Austen’s House and the Royal Collection Trust. The Queen said her current Reading Room recommendation was Sense And Sensibility, Austen’s first, anonymously published novel.