Camilla, 73, launched the Reading Room last month in a video message on the Clarence House Instagram page. The virtual book club gives royal fans an insight into the Camilla’s favourite pieces of literature and features exclusive conversations between the Duchess and author’s behind the story.
In her first video, Camilla described reading as a “great adventure” and gave viewers a list of four novels to get their hands on during lockdown, including Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
The 2018 best-seller tells the tale of a young Kya Clark growing up alone in the marshes of North Carolina.
Camilla described the book as a “heart-breaking coming-of-age novel” and revealed she could not put her handkerchief down.
The Duchess’s book choice is now set to be made into a film and star of the BBC drama Normal People; Daisy Edgar-Jones, who will play the lead role of Kya, has spoken about the story resonated with her.
In a video posted on the Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room page, the 22-year-old said she was drawn to the book – recommended by Camilla – as it touches on feelings of loneliness felt by many during the pandemic.
She said: “I just feel that this idea of isolation was such a resonant one when I read it because of the climate that we’re currently living in.
“We’ve all experienced such loneliness and disconnect to our friends and our family because of the pandemic.
“To me, reading is a great adventure. I’ve loved it since I was very small and I’d love everybody else to enjoy it as much as I do.
“You can escape, and you can travel, and you can laugh and you can cry. There’s every kind of emotion humans experience in a book.”
Where The Crawdads Sing, directed by Olivia Newman, is due for release in 2022.
