Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall, becomes Patron of Booktrust

Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall (copyright: Mario Testino)

We are delighted to announce that Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall has become our Patron. She takes over from His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, who stands down after many years in the role. As Patron, The Duchess will be a key figurehead for Booktrust's work to inspire a lifelong love of books for all.

The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron or President of a number of leading charities and in recent times she has become increasingly well-known for her deep personal interest in literature. Last June, at the Orange Prize for Fiction awards ceremony (also administered by Booktrust), The Duchess spoke vividly about her longstanding relationship with the written word:

'I firmly believe in the importance of igniting a passion for reading in the next generation…The power of a captivating story, a well-honed sentence or a beautifully crafted character is immense, not only taking the reader - or listener - to different worlds, but broadening and stimulating the mind, too.'

In February 2011, The Duchess of Cornwall met Booktrust Chief Executive Viv Bird as part of a visit to Dundonald Library near Belfast. During the visit, The Duchess was introduced to children from The Letterbox Club - the Booktrust scheme that aims to improve the educational outlook for looked-after children. Letterbox Club is just one of the many areas of Booktrust's work that focuses on empowering and inspiring children and families to experience the pleasure of reading.

Booktrust makes a national impact encouraging positive attitudes to books, reading for pleasure and family reading, by providing book gifts for children, resources and targeted campaigns. In this way, we ensure that every child and adult has the opportunity to experience the delight and power of books and the written word, regardless of income, language, literacy skills, disability or culture.

Viv Bird, Chief Executive of Booktrust, commented:

'It is excellent news that The Duchess of Cornwall has become Booktrust's Patron. She has already become a powerful and passionate advocate on matters relating to literacy and I know that she will be a wonderful voice for us in highlighting the vital importance of reading for pleasure. We have an extremely exciting few years ahead of us and I very much look forward to working closely with The Duchess, continuing to make a difference to people's lives through a love of books and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bookstart in 2012.'

Find out more about the patron