Realistically, there are only two reasons anyone would ever want to listen to a podcast named The Queen’s Reading Room. The first is that they really like reading. The second – and I can tell you’re already way ahead of me here – is that they really like the Queen. So it brings me nothing but dismay to inform you that a full 50% of The Queen’s Reading Room listeners are doomed to come away from the endeavour feeling bitterly disappointed.
The Queen’s Reading Room is the podcast offshoot of Queen Camilla’s charity-slash-bookclub where she recommends books for her loyal subjects to read (titles thus far have included Frankenstein, Lessons in Chemistry – and The Year of Eating Dangerously by an obscure young up-and-comer by the name of Tom Parker Bowles). The thought of expanding this pursuit into podcasts seems like a natural one, since hearing the Queen discuss her favourite books at length – perhaps with people whose backgrounds would help to challenge her interpretations – would surely be the ideal way to humanise an aloof and out-of-touch monarchy.
