Today, Queen Camilla extended a warm welcome to the beloved character Peter Rabbit at Clarence House, celebrating a significant milestone for BookTrust, a prominent children’s reading charity in the UK.

The charming children’s character made his way to the Queen’s London residence on Tuesday to honor BookTrust’s 100th anniversary. Queen Camilla, who serves as the charity’s patron, appeared delighted as she stood beside Peter Rabbit, who sported a BookTrust sash over his iconic blue waistcoat for this special literary occasion.

In addition to Peter Rabbit, Queen Camilla also greeted an array of distinguished guests and supporters of BookTrust. Among them were the charity’s President, Sir Michael Morpurgo; Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce; and acclaimed authors such as Dame Floella Benjamin, Richard Osman, Sir Philip Pullman, Dame Julia Donaldson, and Malorie Blackman.

Enthusiastic about meeting the oversized character, Camilla cheerfully shook Peter Rabbit’s hand and posed for photographs, embracing the whimsy of Beatrix Potter’s cherished storybooks.

This event served as a fitting homage to BookTrust’s impactful program, Bookstart Baby, which has successfully ensured that every child in the UK receives a book from the series before their first birthday.

It was a fitting tribute to the charity that has provided a book from the series for every child in the UK before their first birthday through their programme Bookstart Baby.

This year’s book, a brand new Peter Rabbit title called Four Happy Bunnies, has been created exclusively for the scheme.

It will be gifted to around half a million babies and their families across the UK to encourage them to start reading as part of BookTrust’s collaboration with publisher Penguin Random House Children’s.  

Queen Camilla is pictured beaming next to Peter Rabbit at an event at Clarence House today as she poses with the new book, Four Happy Bunnies 

Queen Camilla was also seen chatting to Thursday Murder Club author Richard Osman to mark the 100th anniversary of BookTrust

Queen Camilla was pictured wearing a blue dress as she was seen posing next to Peter Rabbit 

In an off-the-cuff speech, Camilla spoke about how society needs to encourage young people more than ever to read, given the march of modern technology.

Cutting a cake, she added: ‘Can I say happy 100th birthday to everybody involved in BookTrust? 

‘I wouldn’t be standing here now if I hadn’t been read to as a child. We were read to by my father every night and it just shows how important it is. It’s lodged in my very small brain forevermore. 

‘But the job you are doing is ensuring that a great deal of children are going to have the same experience and enjoy reading all their lives.

‘Especially in this day of phones, a lot of children aren’t reading as much as they should be. The statistics show it is even more important now to start them at an early age and get them reading all the way through their lives.’

Queen Camilla put her best fashion foot forward for the event and donned a long-sleeved navy blue embroidered dress with sheer tights and black pointed kitten heels. 

She wore her blonde tresses in her signature wavy blowdry and paired her look with chic pearl drop earrings and her blue Van Cleef & Arpels clover bracelet. 

Sir Michael said of her involvement: ‘It’s huge. The one thing books have always struggled with are getting supporters in the right place. And you can’t get any higher than a head of state. 

The royal was seen shaking hands with the children’s character at the milestone literature event today

Sir Michael Morpurgo was seen holding up a pile of books inside Clarence House today 

Queen Camilla was snapped engaging in conversation with Lady Clare Morpurgo during the reception 

Camilla also spoke to Ann Graham from the Association of Directors of Children Services

The royal beamed as she laughed with children’s author Nadia Shireen at the reception today

Queen Camilla with Diana Gerald and Annie Crombie (right) were pictured celebrating the centenary of BookTrust

‘The two of them have been hugely supportive of the important things in life, whether it is the environment or literature. They fight the good fight and I really appreciate that. It’s really good for the country because they realise those two people care about our lives. 

‘It also helps hugely with children’s’ literature particularly. The Queen has really taken it to heart. 

‘She loved books when she was young and she has chosen to focus her enthusiasm on this. We have someone is who our champion and fight the cause. And we need that both here and in the government.

‘She is not backwards in coming forward with what she thinks and people respect that. We have a great champion on our side.’ 

Speaking about the importance of getting children to read from a young age in the face of technology, he said: ‘Nowadays there is always something more immediate, that’s the problem. 

‘It has to happen when they are very young. I am lucky enough to be a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather. I have seen it through the generations. And one thing I know for sure is that if mum and dad read a book to a one-year-old child and read often enough, then that book becomes a conduit between them. 

‘Something they share together. And when you share something with someone you love most in the world, that imprints itself on you when you are growing up and it’s easier to then for a teacher later on to introduce other books. If you have that regular sowing of the seed, then it’s so important.’

The War Horse author said his own mother read to him and his brother ‘religiously’ every night. 

‘She was wonderful but when I went to school, books suddenly became a worry because they were all about learning and spelling tests. And, in those days, you got stood in the corner, which was deeply humiliating, and that put me off. 

‘I was lucky, I had one or two teachers who resuscitated what my mother had set going.’

He added: ‘We exaggerate the perils of technology too much. When I was a child they said television would kill literature. It goes through phases of being more popular and less popular. 

‘These things distract; we have always had distractions. But we have BookTrust who have been here for 100 years and seen parents and teachers through all these things. We shouldn’t lose heart. 

‘We have some of the best writers we have ever had. We need to focus on parents who start the habit going. ‘

As an avid reader, the Queen has a strong interest in highlighting the importance of literacy. 

She became Patron of BookTrust in 2011, succeeding the late Duke of Edinburgh.

Alongside their book-gifting programmes, BookTrust works across the UK with partners from libraries and schools to local authorities and community hubs to provide advice and resources designed to encourage reading, aiming to embed it as a core part of early childhood.