KATE, Duchess of Cambridge, made a cheeky reference to her daughter Princess Charlotte as she teamed up with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Kate has joined forces with Camilla to mark World Book Day, falling on March 3. The Duchess of Cambridge has been invited by the future Queen Consort to take part in her successful book club, the Reading Room.
To mark the day dedicated to books, the Duchess of Cornwall launched the website of her online book club – previously only on Instagram – and announced the creation of a children’s section. And Kate, widely deemed an expert in early childhood due to her extensive work and research on the topic, has been the first to recommend five children’s books for this new side of the online club.
The Duchess of Cambridge openly mentioned Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis while discussing Jill Tomlinson’s ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark’. Penning a brief note explaining why she chose this story, Kate said: “I loved this book as a little girl and listening to my own children reading it has brought back so many wonderful memories.
“A comforting story to help children face their fears and grow in confidence with the help of others.” Moreover, the Duchess made a cheeky reference to her family also when recommending ‘Charlotte’s Web’, by E. B. White. She wrote: “An all-time classic and loved in our house for obvious reasons!
“This is a charming story about friendship, loyalty and love.” This book tells the story of a grey spider named Charlotte, a girl Fern and a pig.
Kate and William’s daughter Charlotte revealed in a video shared by Kensington Palace in October 2020 to be a fan of spiders and, according to royal commentator Katie Nicholl, the Cambridges sometimes go on spider hunts to allow their children to be in touch with nature. In another recommendation made by Kate, the Duchess refers to her own childhood and her tight bond with her father Michael Middleton.
Speaking about Clive King’s ‘Stig Of The Dump’, Kate wrote: “As a child I loved spending time outdoors, making dens, digging, discovering and making things out of odds and ends. “Whether this was why my father recommended this book to me or whether this book inspired my imagination, I can’t remember, but I have never forgotten this brilliant book and the values it teaches.”
The Duchess recommended two more children’s books – ‘Feelings’ by Libby Walden and the Katie Morag Series by Mairi Hedderwick. Kate’s collaboration with the Reading Room perfectly fits in with her work on early childhood – focused on improving the understanding of the impact the first five years of life can have on development as well as providing children with their best possible start in life.
Reading to young children can have a strong positive impact, including preparing them for academic success by implementing their vocabulary.
Camilla, who launched the Reading Room on Instagram in January 2021 and has since gathered a successful following, has invited over the past months a number of key authors and prominent personalities to share their tips and recommendations. Last year, she announced a collaboration with her son Tom Parker Bowles, who is a leading food writer.
Camilla’s husband Prince Charles also shared five of his favourite books – including a portrait of Napoleon by Adam Zamoyski and an account of the Battle of the Atlantic by Jonathan Dimbleby who, in 1994, published a biography of the heir to the throne. Camilla’s interest in books is well known as is her work on literacy.
The Duchess is the patron of several literacy organisations, including the National Literacy Trust, BookTrust and Beanstalk.While a collaboration between Camilla and Kate is rare, this isn’t the first time the Duchesses join forces. Last month, they visited The
Prince’s Foundation training site for arts and culture at Trinity Buoy Wharf in east London alongside Prince Charles.
Kate was invited to this engagement given she shares a keen love for the arts with her in-laws.
