![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.85728659.jpg\")
Camilla will appear in a BBC Arts documentary about the power of reading (Henry Nicholls\/PA)<\/p>\nCamilla will feature in the BBC Arts programme The Book That Changed My Life, which will be broadcast in the National Year of Reading 2026 and is due to air next month.<\/p>\n
The BBC has said the documentary film will follow the Queen as she meets four remarkable people whose lives have been changed by books at moments when they most needed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWarm, emotional, and full of hope, the film explores how reading can lift us, open our minds and, sometimes, change the course of a life,\u201d it has teased.<\/p>\n
Camilla will appear in a BBC Arts documentary about the power of reading (Henry Nicholls\/PA)<\/p>\n
The latest details of the show were revealed today at The Queen\u2019s Reading Room Festival, which returned to Chatsworth.<\/p>\n
They were shared during a festival discussion on the power of book clubs, led by novelist and crime writer Ann Cleeves.<\/p>\n
During the event, she spoke to Ian Kirby, one of the contributors to the documentary, asking him about his own experience of finding community and hope through reading.<\/p>\n
Kirby, from Gateshead, fell into a deep depression after a traumatic incident at home, but turned his life around after joining a local book club and picking up the autobiography of local boxing hero Glenn McCrory, which offered a new perspective on his own experiences.<\/p>\n
He now describes himself as living a rich and fulfilled life, with reading at the heart of his recovery.<\/p>\n
Speaking in the documentary, he says: \u201cThat is the beauty of a book. It can give you experiences you\u2019ve never experienced, but they can also be an inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kirby is also now a member of the Reading Ramblers, which combines reading and audiobooks with guided walks through Chopwell Wood.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cJust listening to an audiobook, walking through [the woods], with lovely people. My confidence is back and I\u2019ve made new friends, and it\u2019s all through the joy of reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
His is just one of the stories featured in the film, which also includes contributions from Her Majesty.<\/p>\n
The BBC has previously said the documentary would \u201cfeature individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who all share one thing \u2013 moving stories of resilience and renewal, fostered by reading\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom finding solace in a book while in prison, to overcoming deep depression through the connection of a local book club, or finding the inspiration to completely change their life, these stories reveal how books offer salvation, hope, joy, deep connection and fresh perspectives when people need them most,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
It said the film would also explore the growing scientific evidence that demonstrates how reading can improve health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n
The documentary was first announced by Camilla during a Clarence House reception celebrating the fifth anniversary of her Queen\u2019s Reading Room book club in March.<\/p>\n
In a speech, the Queen described how her literary project was launched in lockdown to share her \u201clifelong conviction that books make life better\u201d and has since grown into a festival, donated thousands of books and forged partnerships with organisations combating domestic violence and homelessness.<\/p>\n
![\"Royal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.85719538.jpg\")
It will explore how reading can \u2018change the course of a life\u2019 (Yui Mok\/PA)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m also delighted to announce that we have partnered with the BBC and Blink Films for a major new documentary that will showcase the life-transforming power of books \u2013 my father\u2019s and my own experience included \u2013 for which the cameras are filming here today,\u201d said Camilla.<\/p>\n
The Queen is an avid reader and patron of a number of literary organisations, and inherited her love of books from her father Major Bruce Shand who also wrote about military history and published his war memoirs.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Camilla founded The Queen\u2019s Reading Room, a charity that is working to restore reading to the heart of national life.<\/p>\n
With just one in two UK adults reading a book each year, the organisation supports the proven benefits of reading for wellbeing, connection and creativity.<\/p>\n
The Book That Changed My Life is expected to air on BBC Two on October 14, subject to confirmation in the weekly television schedules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Camilla will feature in the BBC Arts programme The Book That Changed My Life, which will be broadcast…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-289821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}