I’ve always had a soft spot for the Royal Family, and like most book lovers I’m endlessly curious about what other people are reading. So naturally, I started wondering: what books sit on the bedside tables of King Charles III and Queen Camilla?
Both the King and Queen are passionate readers, and their tastes reveal just how wide-ranging their literary interests are. From sweeping historical novels to childhood classics and gripping wartime history, their bookshelves are far from dull.
So, if you’ve ever fancied taking a peek into royal reading habits, here are some of the titles said to be among their favourites.
King Charles III
King Charles has long been known for his thoughtful and varied taste in literature. His interests span history, spirituality, religion, gardening, architecture and environmental issues, alongside a love of classic fiction. Becoming monarch hasn’t changed that – if anything, his reading choices still reflect the same curiosity about the world and the past.
Among the books he has spoken highly of are:
– Along the Enchanted Way by William Blacker, which he once described as “a deeply moving account of a fast-disappearing way of life and culture in Transylvania.”
– The Battle of the Atlantic by Jonathan Dimbleby, praised by the King as “a gripping account” of the naval conflict that played such a crucial role in the Second World War.
– Lustrum by Robert Harris, a historical novel about the life of Cicero in ancient Rome. The King has called it “a brilliantly imaginative combination of history and fiction.”
– Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gellhorn, which he reportedly enjoys for its wonderfully funny and often disastrous tales of travel.
Other books believed to have a place on his shelves include Napoleon by Adam Zamoyski and the beloved Poldark series by Winston Graham.
Queen Camilla
If King Charles is a thoughtful reader, Queen Camilla might well be described as a full-blown bookworm. Her love of literature is well known, and she even founded The Queen’s Reading Room, a charity and book club dedicated to celebrating reading and encouraging people to pick up a book.
She has often spoken about the importance of reading from an early age, and about how stories can shape imagination and empathy. One particularly lovely family detail is that she used to read the Harry Potter books to her grandchildren, with King Charles enthusiastically performing the different character voices.
Her favourite books span classic literature, emotional family sagas, animal stories and compelling mysteries. Some of the titles she has singled out include:
– Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, a childhood favourite that she recalls crying over “night after night after night.”
– A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, which she loves for its emotional depth and powerful themes of love and family.
– The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard, a sweeping family saga she returns to time and again. She once joked that if she were sent to a desert island with only one book, this would be it.
– Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, which she described as a heartbreaking coming-of-age story she simply couldn’t put down.
Some of the other books Queen Camilla has mentioned enjoying include:
– The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
– Girl by Edna O’Brien
– The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
– The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
– A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
– The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
– The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak
– The Queen’s Necklace by Alexandre Dumas
– The Island by Victoria Hislop
– The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
– The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman
– Restless by William Boyd
– The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
– The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
Speaking about her love of books, Queen Camilla once said:
“To me, reading is a great adventure. You can escape and you can travel and you can laugh and you can cry. There’s every kind of emotion that humans experience in a book. Like climbing through the wardrobe into Narnia, stories open doors into different worlds. They stretch our imagination and get our brains buzzing. We fall in love with heroes and heroines and can’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens… stories help us to understand our world and the people in it.”
Final Thoughts
I always find it fascinating to see what other people enjoy reading, and the King and Queen are no exception. Their choices reflect two people who genuinely love books – whether it’s historical non-fiction, sweeping novels, childhood favourites or modern bestsellers.
If you’re looking for something new to add to your reading list, why not try a book with a royal seal of approval? You might just discover a new favourite.
And who knows – perhaps one of these titles will end up on your own bedside table next.
Books By Your Bedside 