In 2022, the Duchess of Sussex launched her Archetypes podcast, which was an immediate hit. The British media behaved as if Meghan’s podcast was a slap in the face to every Windsor, every corgi, and every white person. They howled, ranted, screamed, cried and lied. They also acted as if Meghan personally came into their homes, held a gun to their head and forced them to listen to a podcast. It was definitely weird. Meanwhile, Princess Eugenie launched the Floodlight podcast last year and barely a peep from the media. And now this: Queen Camilla’s “Reading Room” charity will also do a podcast.

A charity established by the Queen is to launch a podcast featuring guests including Dame Joanna Lumley and Sir Ian Rankin. The Queen’s Reading Room was formed from a book club set up by Camilla in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic to celebrate the power and benefits of reading. On Friday, the charity announced it will debut its first series of The Queen’s Reading Room Podcast in January.

Across eight episodes, plus a bonus episode with lexicographer and Countdown star Susie Dent, a number of well-known guests will talk to host Vicki Perrin about their relationship with reading.

The first episode will see Perrin in conversation with 63-year-old crime fiction author Sir Ian, who will talk about his childhood and how he fell in love with books. Absolutely Fabulous star Dame Joanna, 77, will feature in the second episode to speak about her book collection and favourite writers.

The other podcast guests are poet Joseph Coelho, novelist Elif Shafak, comedian David Baddiel, American author Ann Patchett, Lessons In Chemistry author Bonnie Garmus and screenwriter and novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

Perrin, the chief executive of The Queen’s Reading Room, said: “There is nothing quite like a brilliant book recommendation from a friend, but it’s even better when that person is one of your favourite authors or most admired persons. I hope that this podcast will inspire listeners to new literary adventures and help those wishing to love books a little more find the books which set their imaginations alight.”

[From The Telegraph]

To be fair, nowhere does it say that Camilla will actually interview anyone or even appear on the pod, but it’s being done in her name, The Queen’s Reading Room. One of the most bizarre parts of the Archetypes nonsense really was the media acting as if it was their duty to listen to it AND criticize/critique it. I wonder if that same energy will be brought to Camilla’s endeavor? Suddenly, podcasts aren’t gauche, tacky and “too American,” huh? As always, Meghan is the blueprint and Kate isn’t the only one “copying” Meghan.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.