Camilla seemingly poked fun at her age as she was introduced to a member of staff at Book Aid International. The Queen Consort visited the organisation, which provides more than a million new books each year to thousands of communities around the world, including refugee camps, hospitals and remote school, as part of her long-standing commitment to increase and improve literacy.
During the tour of the facility, the Queen Consort got to meet staff at volunteers preparing books to be dispatched around the world.
As she shook the hand of one of those working at the organisation, the 75-year-old joked about people getting “younger and younger”.
Walking among piles of books destined for young readers, King Charles’s wife agreed with one of her hosts about how happiness can be seen on children’s faces when they receive something to read as a present.
Camilla has often spoken about her love for reading and how it stemmed from her childhood, when her father Major Bruce Shand would read her and her siblings stories.
In December 2021, she opened up on her favourite book as a young girl, mentioning Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.
The latter, Camilla confessed, likely contributed to her love for horses.
She said: “I thought of very little else apart from horses and ponies and charging about on them, so I think Black Beauty was the first book that stuck in my mind.
“I can see it now – there was Ginger. Every time I think about poor old Ginger with his head hanging out of the cart with his tongue hanging it makes me cry now, and I think that was possibly one of my favourites.”
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During her visit to Book Aids International, Camilla also rolled up her sleeves and stamped books to be dispatched to Kigali Public Library, in Rwanda.
The then Duchess of Cornwall visited the library in Rwanda in July last year, while she was undertaking with Charles a trip to the nation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
At the library, she met school pupils who taught her how to say hello and thank you in sign language and spoke about their favourite books.
Today, Camilla also signed a letter accompanying the books being donated to the library, which read: “To you all at the Kigali Public Library, this comes with my warmest wishes to everyone at Kigali Public Library, whom I so enjoyed meeting last year!”
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