Duchess Camilla says she's 'delighted' by the positive reaction to the gift she sent to schoolchildren across the UK in celebration of her 75th birthday last July.
- Duchess Camilla has revealed she's 'delighted' by the positive reaction to her birthday gift in July, which has now reached over 25,000 children.
- The future Queen Consort marked her 75th year by sending kinderboxes or mini-libraries to schools across the UK.
- In other royal news, Kate Middleton's girls' trip amid heartbreak over Prince William.
Duchess Camilla has revealed she's 'delighted' by the warm response to the gift she sent to thousands of schoolchildren across the UK, in celebration of her 75th birthday last month.
The future Queen Consort launched her Birthday Books scheme at Millbrook Primary School in South Wales on July 6, as part of a project to encourage youth between the ages of 4 and 11 to read more for pleasure. The initiative saw Camilla pledge to send 'mini libraries' to 75 of the country's most disadvantaged primary schools, in the hope of sharing her passion for literature with children from lower-income backgrounds.
Within a few weeks of the campaign's launch, over 25,000 pupils had been given access to the special 'kinderboxes'.
Speaking to the Mirror on Wednesday, Camilla gushed about the success of the Birthday Books scheme so far.
"I am delighted that so many schools will benefit from this wonderful legacy of mini-libraries and I’d love to see more children benefit from reading books like these to improve children’s wellbeing long into the future," she said.
"The Duchess’s Birthday Books kinderboxes are full of titles that promise endless adventure, comfort, excitement, and joy to young readers." The sweet donation comes over a year after the launch of Camilla's Reading Room, a virtual book club inspired by her lifelong devotion to fiction.
"We all know the power of a good book and the impact it can have on reading and writing skills, as well as wellbeing."
Duchess Camilla's conviction in the importance of kids reading has been echoed by Jonathan Douglas, CEO of the National Literacy Trust.
"1 in 8 primary schools in England do not have a library, and this jumps to 1 in 4 for schools with a higher proportion of children on free school meals," he revealed. "The Primary School Library Alliance has already worked with 334 primary schools like Millbrook to transform their library space, which will have a long-lasting positive effect on their wellbeing and their chances of doing well in life."
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