The Queen will explore the “transformative power of reading” in a new BBC documentary.

Camilla will feature in the BBC Arts programme The Book That Changed My Life, which will be broadcast in the National Year of Reading 2026 and is due to air next month.

The BBC has said the documentary film will follow the Queen as she meets four remarkable people whose lives have been changed by books at moments when they most needed them.

“Warm, emotional, and full of hope, the film explores how reading can lift us, open our minds and, sometimes, change the course of a life,” it has teased.

The latest details of the show were revealed today at The Queen’s Reading Room Festival, which returned to Chatsworth.

During the event, she spoke to Ian Kirby, one of the contributors to the documentary, asking him about his own experience of finding community and hope through reading.

Kirby, from Gateshead, fell into a deep depression after a traumatic incident at home, but turned his life around after joining a local book club and picking up the autobiography of local boxing hero Glenn McCrory, which offered a new perspective on his own experiences.

He now describes himself as living a rich and fulfilled life, with reading at the heart of his recovery.

Speaking in the documentary, he says: “That is the beauty of a book. It can give you experiences you’ve never experienced, but they can also be an inspiration.”

Kirby is also now a member of the Reading Ramblers, which combines reading and audiobooks with guided walks through Chopwell Wood.

He said: “Just listening to an audiobook, walking through [the woods], with lovely people. My confidence is back and I’ve made new friends, and it’s all through the joy of reading.”

His is just one of the stories featured in the film, which also includes contributions from Her Majesty.

The BBC has previously said the documentary would “feature individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who all share one thing – moving stories of resilience and renewal, fostered by reading”.

“From finding solace in a book while in prison, to overcoming deep depression through the connection of a local book club, or finding the inspiration to completely change their life, these stories reveal how books offer salvation, hope, joy, deep connection and fresh perspectives when people need them most,” it added.

It said the film would also explore the growing scientific evidence that demonstrates how reading can improve health and wellbeing.

The documentary was first announced by Camilla during a Clarence House reception celebrating the fifth anniversary of her Queen’s Reading Room book club in March.

In a speech, the Queen described how her literary project was launched in lockdown to share her “lifelong conviction that books make life better” and has since grown into a festival, donated thousands of books and forged partnerships with organisations combating domestic violence and homelessness.

“I’m also delighted to announce that we have partnered with the BBC and Blink Films for a major new documentary that will showcase the life-transforming power of books – my father’s and my own experience included – for which the cameras are filming here today,” said Camilla.

The Queen is an avid reader and patron of a number of literary organisations, and inherited her love of books from her father Major Bruce Shand who also wrote about military history and published his war memoirs.

In 2021, Camilla founded The Queen’s Reading Room, a charity that is working to restore reading to the heart of national life.

With just one in two UK adults reading a book each year, the organisation supports the proven benefits of reading for wellbeing, connection and creativity.

The Book That Changed My Life is expected to air on BBC Two on October 14, subject to confirmation in the weekly television schedules.