Queen Consort Camilla opens up about bonding with her grandchildren

The Queen Consort has shared how reading to her grandchildren has been a "wonderful" bonding experience, which has helped them to become bookworms.

To mark World Book Day on Thursday, Camilla, 75, spoke about the importance of reading from a young age as she sat down with Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho.

In a video released by BookTrust and recorded in the library at Clarence House last month, the pair discussed their shared love of books and revealed their favourite tales as a child. See inside the Clarence House library in the clip below...

WATCH: Queen Consort Camilla opens up about bonding with grandchildren

Camilla is a very proud grandmother of five. Her son, Tom Parker Bowles, has Lola, 15, and Freddy, 13, and her daughter, Laura Lopes, has Eliza, 15, and 13-year-old twins, Louis and Gus.

Speaking about reading to her grandchildren, the Queen Consort said: "It was just a wonderful way of getting to know them, as you say, bonding. Sitting on the end of their bed and just reading."

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She continued: "We took it in turn to find our favourite stories and what's lovely is it's really got them reading. They are bookworms now.

"It's so lovely if I go and see them, I find them tucked up in bed with a book saying: 'Please don't turn off the light, I've got to finish this chapter.'"

Camilla's granddaughter, Eliza, was one of William and Kate's bridesmaids

She added: "It is really nice when you see the pure enjoyment that children are getting out of reading and if you get that at a very early age, it's going to help you so much in future life.

"Because the earlier you read, the more you are going to understand, the more books you read, the more you’re going to understand about different places, different cultures, different ways of life."

Reflecting on her favourite childhood books, Camilla revealed: "I think I have to admit, in the end, I ended up probably being a sort of pony-mad child with Black Beauty, which I howled over, night after night after night."

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