Queen Camilla Is Launching a Podcast of Her Own—That Will Premiere Four Years To the Day After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Announcement That They Were Quitting Life As Working Royals

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published 16 December 2023

In addition to, you know, being Queen, it appears that Queen Camilla has a new project lined up for 2024: podcast host.

Camilla isn’t, of course, the first member of the royal family to have her own show. Meghan Markle’s 12-episode “Archetypes” was released by Spotify last year and was “a podcast where we investigate, dissect, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back.” The show officially ended—as did Meghan and Prince Harry’s multi-million dollar deal with the audio giant—over the summer, though it is thought that Meghan could continue podcasting, potentially on Audible, where, for example, Barack and Michelle Obama are signed.

Princess Eugenie cohosts the podcast “Floodlight” with Julia de Boinville; the two women are also cofounders of The Anti-Slavery Collective. “Floodlight” sees the women sit down with guests (activists, politicians, lawmakers, and survivors) to explore how to help eradicate the global epidemic of modern slavery. Eugenie’s mother Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, cohosted the delightful “Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah” alongside entrepreneur Sarah Thomson, where they take part in “candid conversations as they spill the tea on the rollercoaster of life,” addressing hot topics weekly and giving their thoughts and opinions on everyday issues. Mike Tindall—who is married to Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter—is also a podcast host; his “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby” podcast welcomed none other than Anne herself and the Prince and Princess of Wales earlier this year.

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Camilla’s podcast—scheduled for launch in the new year—is called “The Queen’s Reading Room,” The Mirror reports, and is an offshoot of her charity, The Reading Room, “whose sole aim is to promote the joy and wonder of reading,” the outlet reports. Camilla will be joined in her podcasting effort by cohost Vicki Perrin, the CEO of The Reading Room, and they will interview guests like Anne Patchett, Sir Ian Rankin, David Baddiel, and Dame Joanna Lumley.

“The Queen’s Reading Room” will invite listeners inside the reading rooms of authors and celebrities to hear about their own journeys through the world of books—and will feature recommendations from Camilla herself, who is an avid reader. “There is nothing quite like a brilliant book recommendation from a friend, but it’s even better when that person is one of your favorite authors or most admired persons,” Perrin said. “I hope that this podcast will inspire listeners to new literary adventures and help those wishing to love books a little more find the books which set their imaginations alight.”

Camilla founded her charity and book club in 2021 to “develop the appreciation of literature among adults and children in the U.K. and around the world,” The Mirror reports. The podcast will connect listeners with literary figures in its first season, which premieres January 8—coincidentally the four-year anniversary of Harry and Meghan’s infamous “step back” announcement, where they resigned from their roles as working members of the royal family.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.