At Chatsworth House, Queen Camilla opened The Queen’s Reading Room Festival with a message of unity as she navigates the ongoing dispute between Buckingham Palace and Earl Spencer over his forthcoming Diana memoir.

Spencer’s memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, due from Penguin Random House later this month, is said to contain explosive claims about King Charles III’s conduct after Princess Diana’s death.

Spencer has publicly defended his account of a phone call with Prince Charles, insisting his exact words were said and challenging the Palace’s response as potentially embarrassing.

The festival draws local book clubs and organizations such as Elm Foundation, underscoring its charitable and literary aims.

Beyond readings, the event focuses on domestic abuse support in addition to celebrating literature, with community groups taking part.

Chakrabarti attended and expressed gratitude for being chosen, while Gyles Brandreth highlighted the festival’s global readership cultivated by the Queen’s selections.

Camilla cited a roster of notable guests, past and future, at Chatsworth’s festival, including William Boyd, Elif Shafak, Robert Harris, and Kate Mossé.

The Queen’s Reading Room festival at Chatsworth is described as a home for literary giants and a platform for international authors.

BBC Arts will air a documentary, The Book That Changed My Life, on BBC Two and iPlayer in October, a broader note about reading’s transformative power announced at the festival.

The coverage notes public reaction and references to Camilla’s public image and past reporting surrounding her activities.

Camilla praised Chatsworth’s library and described being there as feeling like coming home, tying the setting to the Reading Room’s mission.

She credited the collective support of book lovers, writers, publishers, actors, and readers for the festival’s success and for helping the royals go far.