The Royal Family's Favorite Children's Books

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In 2012, Queen Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, gave a speech in celebration of world book day. "Reading is exciting. Reading is fun. Reading is cool," she said. "There is nothing quite like the thrill of opening a book and being drawn into another world to meet new people and to discover their stories—it’s like making new friends."

It would seem that Camilla's royal relatives are taking her words to heart, especially when it comes to introducing the youngest generation of royals to the written word. Here, the royal family's favorite children's books.

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark

"I loved this book as a little girl and listening to my own children reading it has brought back so many wonderful memories," Kate, the Princess of Wales, said of Tomlinson's The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, calling it "a comforting story to help children face their fears and grow in confidence with the help of others."

Giraffes Can't Dance

In Prince Harry's hotly anticipated Spare, he writes very briefly about his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. After returning from Queen Elizabeth's funeral, Harry writes he was "overjoyed to be home again, doing drop-offs again, reading Giraffes Can't Dance again..." implying that this children's book about Gerald, a giraffe who can't dance, is a favorite in the Sussex home in Montecito.

Charlotte's Web

Kate has shared that E.B. White's Charlotte's Web is a favorite in their house "for obvious reasons."

Duck! Rabbit!

To mark their son Archie's first birthday, Harry and Meghan shared a sweet video of the Duchess reading baby Archie one of his favorite books, Duck! Rabbit!, which is a creative exploration in perspective by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.

Mommy Hugs

In that same video of Archie, some intrepid royal fans pointed out that the youngster is also a fan of Mommy Hugs, Georg Hallensleben and Anne Gutman's board book, which illustrates the affection moms have for their babies throughout the animal kingdom.

Is Your Mama a Llama?

Also spotted in Archie's reading nook: Is Your Mama a Llama? a rhyming classic, with playful illustrations of animals.

The Bench

Meghan recently added a new line to her resume: children's book author. She wrote this book, The Bench, about “the special bond between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes,” and the publisher notes that it “is inspired by her own husband Prince Harry and son Archie.”

The Gruffalo

William and Kate's little ones are big fans of The Gruffalo. When Prince William met Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler at an event in 2018, he said,"I know who you are. It’s a big hit in our household, The Gruffalo." It's not just the Waleses who love the Grufffalo—during a visit to an elementary school while in Germany in March 2023, Camilla drew the children's book character!

For those who are less-than-familiar with the wildly popular book series, it's about a mouse who encounters several creatures while walking through the woods, including the titular beast.

Room on the Broom

When visiting an ice cream parlor in South Wales, Prince William shared that another one of Donaldson and Scheffler's books is a Cambridge family favorite. "I read this to our children all the time," he said, pointing to the witchy book Room on the Broom, which a child was reading in the shop.

The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh

It doesn't get more British than Prince Harry buying a first-edition copy of A.A Milne's classic Winnie-the-Pooh as a christening gift for his nephew Prince Louis.

Little Red

Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew's ex-wife and the mother of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, is also a children's book author. She's written a number of titles, including a series about Little Red.

The Giving Tree

Way back before Meghan Markle was the Duchess of Sussex, she shared the one book she couldn't wait to share with her future children. Her answer was Shel Silverstein's tale of selfless love, The Giving Tree.

Guess How Much I Love You

In a video on her mother's YouTube page, Princess Eugenie read her "favorite" children's book, Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram. Watch her reading of the sweet story here.

Feelings

As part of the Camilla's Reading Room initiative, Kate recommended Feelings by Libby Walden, saying "This little book is a wonderful way to help children understand and recognise their feelings and emotions, and brings to life the importance of empathy."

Stig of the Dump

Kate also recommended Stig of the Dump saying, "As a child I loved spending time outdoors, making dens, digging, discovering and making things out of odds and ends. Whether this was why my father recommended this book to me or whether this book inspired my imagination, I can’t remember, but I have never forgotten this brilliant book and the values it teaches."

Katie Morag's Island Stories

Another one of Kate's recommendations is Mairi Hedderwick's series of Katie Morgan stories, which she describes as "fun stories for children of all ages and a great book for older children to read to younger siblings."

"These books are filled with captivating and beautiful illustrations to accompany the text so there’s lots to talk about!" she says.

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