It was a global pandemic. Many of us were navigating on-again, off-again lockdowns. It was a stressful time. But Queen Camilla <\/a>(then the Duchess of Cornwall) turned lemons into lemonade, using the downtime to launch The Queen\u2019s Reading Room<\/a>, which started out as just an Instagram-based book club, in January 2021. Five years later, she\u2019s toasting a major milestone: Her project\u2019s evolution from passion project into a full-blown charity.<\/p>\n In a post on Instagram<\/a>, complete with a new pic, Her Majesty touted her pandemic initiative\u2019s runaway success. She wrote: \u201cFive years ago, I founded a book club in lockdown, in the hope that others might derive as much enjoyment from good literature as I do. Since those humble beginnings, that book club has grown into a global charity, supporting a community of book lovers, united by a shared belief in the power of reading.\u201d<\/p>\n She continues: \u201cI am so proud of what my charity has achieved, reaching millions of people, staging remarkable events and partnering with incredible organizations to bring books to people who need them most. Its groundbreaking research has confirmed what many of us always felt: reading truly changes how we perceive, how we think and how we connect. At a time when global reading rates are at their very lowest, my charity\u2019s mission feels more urgent than ever. Books do make life better – and this is only the beginning.\u201d Here, here.<\/p>\n Danny Lawson\/Splash News\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Chris Jackson, the royal photographer who snapped the new pic of the queen, shed some additional light on its setting in his own Instagram post. \u201cThe queen is pictured here in my picture released today lost in a book in Wiltshire,\u201d he wrote in his caption. (We\u2019re assuming the location to be Ray Mill House, a private residence long held by Camilla and a bit of a santuary for Her Majesty, too.)<\/p>\n As far as royal milestones go, this is certainly one the queen should feel proud of. In the years since the 2021 launch, she\u2019s welcomed world-renowned authors and introduced a whopping 76 beloved books to new audiences along the way. Even King Charles and Kate Middleton have contributed book recommendations. It\u2019s certainly a defining piece of her reign.<\/p>\n So, what next? The literary fest is set to return this year with the addition of the brand-new Queen\u2019s Reading Room Medal to be presented to local unsung heroes who champion reading, according to Hello!<\/em><\/a>. Five years and counting\u2014something tells us Camilla\u2019s only just ramping up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n