‘Quite an extraordinary mixture’: Duchess of Cornwall dishes on fantasy dinner guest

During a visit to Meta’s new headquarters last week, the Duchess of Cornwall surprised royal watchers after revealing her favourite fictional characters she would like to host for a dinner party.

Although Camila revealed her list of dream guests was long she believes she had “a very good mixture” in a video with her book group The Reading Room.

“I’d have the Count of Monte Cristo. Then I’d have two rather devious characters to spice up the whole thing. I’d have Mrs Danvers, dressed in black, and I’d have Count Fosco from The Woman in White. I think they’d cause quite a lot of trouble and I wanted somebody a bit different,” she said.

“Then I’d have a heroine of mine, Elizabeth Bennett. Just a good strong woman to keep the show on the road, so to speak.

“And then I’d have Uncle Matthew from the Pursuit of Love, probably with his entrenching tool to keep everyone under control.”

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The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room serves as a hub for literary communities around the globe and works to celebrate literature.

The initiative was inspired by the success of Her Royal Highness’s reading lists, the Reading Room channel provides book recommendations, as well as insights from writers, in an inclusive space for book lovers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Camila is a passionate supporter of literacy programs both internationally and in the United Kingdom, her particular focus is on encouraging a love of reading and writing from an early age.

On World Book Day 2020 The Duchess stressed the importance of reading to children at a London school.

“If can give you one piece of advice, it is to put down your phones and pick up a book, especially before you go to bed. Books never lose their signal or run out of battery and they will always take you to a thousand different worlds with every turn of a page,” she said.