Queen Camilla posed with a cuddly mascot of Peter Rabbit as she marked a century of BookTrust’s work promoting childhood literacy at Clarence House on Tuesday.
The Queen, who serves as the charity’s patron, welcomed a glittering assembly of literary luminaries and unveiled a specially commissioned Peter Rabbit story destined for newborns across Britain.
The exclusive board book, titled “Four Happy Bunnies”, will become part of BookTrust’s Bookstart Baby initiative which distributes reading materials to more than 500,000 families annually.
During the event, the Queen encountered Peter Rabbit himself during the festivities – posing for a picture with the huge cuddly mascot as he brandished a copy of the book bearing his name.
Camilla has long championed the importance of literature for all ages, spearheading the promotion of books through her own organisation – The Queen’s Reading Room.
Over the weekend, she also opened the 2025 Cliveden Literary Festival today and hosted a reception for authors, festival supporters, charity partners, and students from the London Academy of Excellence.
Tuesday’s gathering also brought together prominent figures from publishing, politics and community organisations dedicated to fostering early childhood reading habits.
The impressive roster of literary figures included Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce joining authors Julia Donaldson, Malorie Blackman, Richard Osman, Floella Benjamin and Sir Michael Morpurgo.
Queen Camilla posed with Peter Rabbit as she celebrates 100-year milestone of children’s literature charity BookTrust
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These distinguished guests celebrated BookTrust’s evolution from its 1925 founding into Britain’s most extensive reading charity.
Diana Gerald MBE, Co-CEO of BookTrust, said: “We were honoured that Her Majesty The Queen has hosted this event marking 100 years of BookTrust.
“We’ve come a long way since 1925, and we have so much to be proud of but the need for BookTrust is now clearer than ever,” she added.
Sir Michael Morpurgo, BookTrust’s President, celebrated the role of the organisation as: “An essential part of the fabric of society.”
The Queen also met with a number of acomplished authors at the event
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“BookTrust makes stories and reading a part of every family life and creates a shared cultural heritage for our children. This has never been more important,” he said.
The charity now collaborates with 30,000 community partners, supporting 1.4 million youngsters yearly throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
BookTrust particularly focuses on reaching children from economically disadvantaged circumstances and vulnerable situations.
Recently, the organisation published its Reading Rights report alongside Cottrell-Boyce where it documented disparities in book access across the nation.
BookTrust co-CEO Diana Gerald said they were ‘honoured’ to have the Queen present
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Key to their findings was experience with reading at the earliest of ages, which doubled the importance of the new Peter Rabbit book.
The specially created book incorporates tactile felt flaps, vivid colours and rhythmic verses designed to captivate infant readers, which was created by Penguin Random House Children’s in collaboration with BookTrust.
Health professionals and registrars distribute these materials during routine check-ups within an infant’s first nine months, reaching 90 per cent of newborns.
Research conducted by BookTrust demonstrates that introducing books during infancy strengthens caregiver relationships and cultivates essential developmental abilities that extend well beyond basic literacy skills.