Queen Camilla's confession about pre-dinner routine with King Charles that can lead to either 'off-putting' laughter or 'weeping'
Her Majesty shares this insight on a new BBC documentary and explains it's a 'lovely' way to spend their evenings together
King Charles and Queen Camilla's Clarence House residence is rather more luxurious than most people's homes, but their evening routine as a couple is incredibly low-key. They embrace the opportunity to unwind before dinner and instead of watching TV or even chatting together, the Queen has revealed they immerse themselves in books.
"My husband and I actually read before dinner," she explains in the first ten minutes of the BBC's new documentary, The Book That Changed My Life. "We just like sitting quietly and reading. He loves biographies and PG Wodehouse."
Both King Charles and Queen Camilla are totally absorbed when they read and she admits that she "occasionally" hears the monarch "roaring with laughter about something" when she's deep into her own book. With a smile on her face, she quips, "It's very off-putting."
However, it's not just King Charles interrupting her, as Her Majesty adds that she'll "suddenly start weeping" at certain books which can surely be heard by him too. No matter how each of them react, though, Camilla describes it as a "lovely quiet time".
The Book That Changed My Life airs on BBC Two and iPlayer on 14th October and coincides with the National Year of Reading 2026. It paints a moving and fascinating portrait of how books truly have the power to change lives and Queen Camilla - an outspoken advocate for literacy - also says early on that she thinks reading can be a "tonic" after a hard week.
Carving out time to read before dinner is clearly something that she and King Charles consider very important and it's not the first time she's discussed how happy they are to sit in silence with their books. Ahead of her 75th birthday she spoke to British Vogue and said that they love to do this when they go on holiday too.
"You know when we go away, the nicest thing is that we actually sit and read our books in different corners of the same room," the Queen said. "It's very relaxing because you know you don't have to make conversation. You just sit and be together."
Their way of reading sounds very calming, though King Charles is also reportedly an expert at entertaining the grandchildren with his rendition of certain books. In 2022, Camilla said "his grandchildren aren't [too old to be read stories] and he's very good because he does all these voices for them. He loves Babar the Elephant."
Meanwhile, her son Tom Parker Bowles has described the King as a "wonderful step-grandfather" to his children and his sister Laura's kids too. He divulged to People, "The children utterly adore him. From an early age, he's read them stories, been there, and swung them around."
Reading to children and encouraging them to read from when they're very small is something Queen Camilla thinks is pivotal and in the upcoming BBC documentary she explains why.
"You learn so much about people, about life, I think people who don't read miss out so much. That's why I think it's so important to get children reading early. You can go anywhere, get your magic carpet and off you go," she declares.
The Book That Changed My Life will air on BBC Two and iPlayer on Wednesday 14 October at 9pm.
