Camilla Parker Bowles makes sweet tribute to Prince Philip during phonecall about 'isolated' older people

Camilla Barker Bowles has made a sweet nod to Prince Philip during a recent phone call on one of her longtime passions—reading. 

• Camilla Barker Bowles paid tribute to her late father-in-law, Prince Philip, during a public engagement at the weekend. 
• The Duchess of Cornwall has recently become a Patron of Silver Stories, a charity that links children with older people through a shared passion for reading. 
• In other royal news, Prince William is praised for emotional climate change plea, "Our planet is now in crisis".
  

Camilla Parker Bowles has made a subtle nod to Prince Philip, who died aged 99 in April, in her most recent update. 

The Duchess of Cornwall is now a Patron of Silver Stories, a charity that connects young and old through the art of storytelling. The child, known as the Silver Reader, recites excerpts from their favorite books aloud to the older individual, the Silver Listener, during a five to ten-minute long phone call. The sweet project aims to benefit both reader and listener, helping the child to improve their literacy skills whilst also providing valuable social interaction for the older person. 

Duchess Camilla checked in with the charity's younger participants this week, personally calling two of the Silver Readers from Clarence House to share some words of encouragement. In the background, a black-and-white photograph of Prince Philip—who was also an avid reader—and the Queen can be spotted. 

His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, was a proud bookworm, holding the patronage of BookTrust up until his death earlier this year. Having now inherited this role, Camilla appears determined to continue her late father-in-law's enthusiasm for literature, even dedicating her book club's eclectic reading list to Prince Philip as a mark of respect after his passing. 

“I am sure you help the older generation so much by reading to them. It must cheer up their days,” she told 11-year-old Teagan and 10-year-old Ollie during the phone call. The brother and sister duo then showed off their excellent reading skills to Camilla, who has advocated the importance of literacy and education throughout her life as a working royal. 

Ollie kicked off the recital with a passage from The Ice Monster by David Walliams, an adventure book Camilla has read multiple times for her own grandchildren. Teagen chose a slightly more traditional option, reading an excerpt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - another one of the Duchess’s favorite novels. 

After the two storytellers had finished their readings, Camilla praised their efforts and thanked them for their work. “It must be so cheering for them to hear your voice reading these lovely stories,” she said. “I think you’re doing an absolutely brilliant job. So thank you very much indeed.” 

Silver Stories was founded in 2016 by Elisabeth Carney Haworth, a retired headteacher, and her husband, David, a retired police sergeant. The goal of the organization was to reduce loneliness in older people by creating intergenerational relationships, whilst also building the literary skills of children.