Queen Camilla has announced a new UK-wide literacy initiative that will provide every year 6 and P6 child with a special edition of 'Impossible Creatures' by award-winning author Katherine Rundell this Christmas.

The Queen's Christmas Present supports the National Year of Reading 2026, a campaign aimed at encouraging children, young people, and adults to develop lasting reading habits.

The programme is delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, with distribution through schools and libraries supported by free resources, activities, and community outreach.

Eligible children will receive a special edition featuring a royal stamp and a personal message from The Queen.

The initiative includes targeted support for disadvantaged communities through outreach in hospitals, care settings, refuges, and food banks, alongside engagement through 900 National Year of Reading partners.

The programme responds to research from the National Literacy Trust showing a significant decline of 30% in children's enjoyment of reading in their free time between the ages of 8 to 11 (47.7%) and 11 to 14 (33.2%).