The Queen admitted “I hate sci-fi” books after listing her favourite works of literature during a visit to a bookshop.
Independent store Heywood Hill is known for its reading consultations, where visitors detail their literary highs and lows to receive a tailored year-long book subscription.
Taking part in one at the Mayfair shop on Tuesday, Camilla, an avid reader and patron of multiple literary organisations, was asked to pick her all-time top reads.
The first was the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard, which she described as her “absolute favourite”, and next came The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
“Goodness me, there are so many after that. I’m thinking of them all, but they all seem to come up at the same time,” she told deputy bookshop manager Harriet Bibby, who led the consultation.
Camilla added that she loves A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles, “which is just wonderful”, and the works of British novelists William Boyd and Anthony Horowitz.
The Queen estimated that she reads 80% fiction and 20% non-fiction during the visit celebrating the west London outlet’s 90th anniversary.
Asked if there are any genres she does not like, Camilla said without pause: “I hate sci-fi”, pronouncing it sky-fi.
Laughing, she added: “That, I’m afraid, is not my favourite. I’m sure a lot of people love it, but, um…
“No science fiction. No, I can’t do that, you have to have some things you love and some things you really don’t love, and that really is one I don’t love.”
One lucky customer will be receiving their order wrapped by the Queen herself as she got to work helping two full-time packers.
Camilla was logged on the staff rota as “CR” with a crown beside, which was pinned on the packing room door.
She helped fold the brown paper covering of The Renoir Girls by Catherine Ostler, before bow-tying the finishing blue ribbon.
The Queen was also shown a large world map covered in blue and yellow flags that mark its subscribers based in more than 80 countries.
After completing her tour of the store’s four main rooms, Camilla unveiled a plaque renaming one the “Queen’s Room”.
She inherited her love of books from her father Major Bruce Shand, who wrote about military history and published his war memoirs.
Major Shand was a Heywood Hill customer, its chief executive Nicky Dunne pointed out, as he asked Camilla if she had visited as a young girl.
The Queen replied: “I’m sure I did come here when I was much, much smaller.”
A crowd of people had gathered outside with their cameras at the ready while she had been inside.
Accompanied by the Mr Dunne, she exited the front door and walked across the zebra crossing to Shepherd Market opposite.
In the upmarket backstreet she was greeted by and spoke with local business owners and traders.
