Queen Camilla enjoyed an “exclusive Black Tie evening” in support of The Queen’s Reading Room alongside the cast and crew of the film Hamnet. Actor Joe Alwyn left his dark jeans and Nikes at home, instead dressing up for the formal evening in a suit and black tie to support the “vital work” of the Queen’s organization. Jacobi Jupe, who plays the titular character, author Maggie O'Farrell, producers Dame Pippa Harris and Liza Marshall, and casting director Nina Gold were also in attendance.
“It must have been fascinating to play,” the Queen asked Joe Alwyn before the screening. He replied, “Maggie wrote a beautiful book,” perfectly connecting with the purpose of the “unforgettable evening of literature and cinema.” The Queen joined the audience for a screening of the film, which she said had “really taken off” before telling Alwyn, who plays Bartholomew, “I can’t wait to see it.”
The event was held at The Mayfair Hotel, with tickets costing approximately $200, although “loyal supporters” of The Queen’s Reading Room were able to enter a drawing to purchase tickets for £50. The evening included a screening of the film followed by “intimate conversations” with Maggie O’Farrell, film producers, and other distinguished members of the cast and crew. The conversations detailed how the author’s “lyrical prose was transformed into cinematic poetry.”
While the organization is known as Queen Camilla’s "book club," with a literary festival, seasonal book choices and reading guide to inspire readers, The Queen’s Reading Room operates as a charity to support literacy throughout the UK and beyond. The “special evening” was created to raise “vital funds” to ensure “everyone can access the comfort, hope and possibilities that reading brings,” bringing resources to charities supporting homelessness and domestic violence. The Queen’s Reading Room’s mission is “to share the transformative gift of storytelling, improving the lives of those who need it the most.”
