Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s charity, The Queen’s Reading Room, has announced the return of its highly anticipated flagship event, The Queen’s Reading Room Festival, which is set to return to Chatsworth for a second year, on 19 and 20 September 2026.
Building on the success of previous years, this year's broad programme brings together an outstanding line-up of authors for a celebration of books and ideas in a truly remarkable setting, promising up-close moments with writers, lively conversation and the chance to hear directly from some of today’s most compelling voices.
The 2026 edition will welcome celebrated authors including: Clare Balding, on place and the stories we tell; Harlan Coben, on creating work for Netflix; Lee Child and special guests, on rehabilitation in writing and reading; Louise Penny, on building a beloved crime series; Ann Cleeves, on murder locations, from village noir to coastal crime; Cecelia Ahern, on hope, heartbreak and happy endings; Meg Mason, on the modern anti-heroine; and Elif Shafak, on fiction that defies borders.
They are joined by: Jeffery Archer, on the art of the bestseller; Kate Atkinson, on sharp wit and sharp crime; William Boyd, on building a literary thriller; Jessie Burton, on writing for young readers; Reeta Chakrabarti, on the art of bearing witness; Daisy Fancourt, on art in the age of everything; Jane Harper, on our love of crime stories; Louise Kennedy, on tales of love and conflict; Philippa Perry, on whether a therapist can catch a killer; Jennifer Saint, on ancient stories with modern fire; Louisa Young on continuing the Cazalet Chronicles; Lucy Foley on her new Miss Marple; and Nussaibah Younis, on policy, power and personal consequence.
Pictured above, the 2026 Festival Headliners: Reeta Chakrabarti, Daisy Fancourt, Louisa Young, Elif Shafak, Ann Cleeves, Kate Atkinson, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, Jeffrey Archer, Meg Mason, Lucy Foley, Louise Kennedy, Nussaibah Younis, Louise Penny, William Boyd, Clare Balding, Phillipa Perry, Cecelia Ahern, Jessie Burton, Jennifer Saint, and Jane Harper.
The 2026 festival coincides with the charity's fifth anniversary, celebrating five years since Her Majesty Queen Camilla launched an Instagram book club during lockdown that has since grown into a global charity reaching audiences in more than 180 countries.
The festival will once again inspire budding authors with the return of The Writers’ Room, an open-access drop-in hub, free to all festival pass holders. Throughout the day, a rolling programme of lively 20-minute interviews will lift the curtain on the publishing world, featuring an author, publicist, publisher, editor and literary agent, each sharing practical insight into their role in bringing a book to life. From shaping a manuscript and finding representation, to navigating submissions, marketing and publication, these candid conversations will demystify the journey from desk to bookshelf.
New this year is The Poetry Room supported by the TS Eliot Foundation. This feel-good space celebrates poetry in a fresh and engaging way for aficionados and novices alike, offering a rolling line-up of brilliant live readings from some exciting voices, alongside relaxed and engaging conversations with special guests. Speakers will share the poems they love, how they’ve influenced them and then bring them to life on stage.
Festival passes also include entry to Chatsworth House and its new exhibition, House of Stories: Tales from the Chatsworth Library, which brings together some of the most significant works of literature from the Chatsworth Library and Archives for the first time. Passes also include access to Chatsworth's 105-acre garden and farmyard.
The Queen’s Reading Room Community outreach:
From inception, The Queen's Reading Room has believed that books belong to everyone. The festival will once again combine world-class literary programming with grassroots community initiatives to celebrate the transformative power of books.
An allocation of tickets will be available through Chatsworth's Universal Credit scheme, helping ensure that cost is not a barrier to attendance. A proportion of festival passes will be available at the reduced rate of £3, along with a selection of individual tickets to specific talks.
The Queen’s Reading Room is also proud to continue its partnership with The Elm Foundation, a Derbyshire based organisation supporting victims of domestic violence. At last year’s festival, The Queen joined discussions on reading and mental health. As part of the festivities, visitors were invited to donate books to a mobile donation station, which were later distributed to Elm Foundation service users, demonstrating that great literature belongs to everyone, regardless of circumstance. Through this collaboration, The Queen’s Reading Room has supported shared reading groups with training, mentorship and book donations, offering connection and recovery through reading.
Since beginning its grassroots outreach in 2024, The Queen’s Reading Room has brought literature directly to those who need it most, serving 12 grassroots locations and donating more than 2,300 books. The charity has also delivered a comprehensive shared reading project supporting 10 reading groups across St Mungo's homeless shelters.
Vicki Perrin, Chief Executive of The Queen’s Reading Room said:
“As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of The Queen’s Reading Room, it is a joy to announce the return of our festival to Chatsworth. Bringing so many remarkable authors, thinkers and storytellers to one place is a true privilege.
As ever, we are committed to making reading accessible for all and will be continuing our partnership with local charity, The Elm Foundation, which supports victims of domestic violence. We’ll also be supporting lower-income visitors by offering an allocation of tickets through Chatsworth's Universal Credit Scheme.
From intimate conversations with some of today’s most compelling voices to the return of The Writers’ Room and the launch of our new Poetry Room, this year’s festival offers something for every kind of reader. Whether you come seeking inspiration, discovery or simply the joy of being surrounded by books and ideas, we cannot wait to welcome you to Chatsworth in September.”
Event details
The Queen's Reading Room Festival will take place on 19 and 20 September in a new Festival Hub on the South Lawn, in the Chatsworth Garden.
Festival Passes also include entry to the house, garden, farmyard and playground.
Tickets
Tickets will be released for sale at 10am on Wednesday 15 April.
Chatsworth Patrons and Friends will receive a pre-sale booking link by email at 7pm on Tuesday 14 April.
About The Queen's Reading Room
Since its debut at Hampton Court Palace in 2023, The Queen's Reading Room Festival has become one of the fastest growing literary festivals in the United Kingdom, filling more than 22,000 seats and drawing audiences from across the globe.
Visitors have travelled from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to experience unforgettable literary moments set against some of Britain's most breathtaking historic surroundings. Staged first at Hampton Court Palace and, from 2025, at Chatsworth, the festival has attracted some of the most celebrated names in literature and entertainment, including David Olusoga, Peter James, Jilly Cooper, Philippa Gregory, Ian Rankin, and Helen Fielding.
What began in 2020 as a simple way to share books during the Covid-19 pandemic has evolved into a charity championing the transformative power of reading. The Queen's Reading Room now reaches audiences through world-class live events, groundbreaking neuroscientific research, and a thriving community of 193,000 book lovers united by a shared belief in literature's power to enrich lives. Her Majesty has personally recommended 76 books, introducing readers to a remarkable breadth of literature spanning genres, eras and voices, from Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day to Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, from classics by Jane Austen and Victor Hugo to contemporary voices that reflect the extraordinary range of human experience.
Set against Chatsworth's historic landscape, the 2026 festival promises to honour this milestone year while looking forward to the next chapter in the charity's extraordinary journey, bringing together world-class literary programming with grassroots community initiatives to celebrate the transformative power of books.
Images above show the 2025 event and author lineup and are provided for information only.
