Storybook royals

Once upon a time, books were the only places where girls got to marry their princes and become princesses.  Today, modern royal wives come from all walks of life and some of them are trying to get younger people to read more books to help the modern magic of 21st century storybooks bring a whole new world to them.

Spot the princess.  Mette-Marit of Norway hides behind a book ahead of a major literature tour she has just undertaken

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was described as the ultimate fairytale royal when she married Prince Haakon Magnus with some calling her the Cinderella of Kristiansand at her wedding in 2001. And since she became a princess, she has made no secret of her love of books - in fact her Twitter account describes her as a mother and a bookworm.  And she recently went on a two day tour of her country to try and get as many other people as possible to read.  She had a special 'Literature Train' to help her and hopped on board to spend forty eight hours criss crossing Norway and stopping off every few hours to do readings and encourage people, especially children, to get reading.

A fairytale princess reads from storybooks to encourage children to embrace literature

The princess spent the two days using social media to spread the love books campaign with lots of updates on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.  And she got the rest of the royals to support her with a lovely photo of King Harald and Queen Sonja with Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre released at the end of the campaign.

Do girls like reading more than boys?  On the evidence of this royal photo then the answer is yes as King Harald and Prince Sverre wait patiently for story time to end

The princess said the train goes slowly in the same way as a book and spoke about how she always went to the library on a Saturday where she enjoyed the quietness and being among the different stories on offer.  It evoked a world of imagination where the mind can wander into happy realms and that was a theme in the speech the Princess of Asturias took up in her speech at the Spanish Children's Literature Awards which she presented on April 1st.  Reading is a way to be happy, said the princess, and to be better.  And she praised those who write for children and those who edit their books, saying their work was important to educating young people and making society better.

Princess Letizia speaks about the importance of books for children at an awards ceremony in Madrid

The Duchess of Cornwall has made literacy, reading and literature one of her main projects since she married the Prince of Wales in 2005.  In recent months, the duchess has visited a prison to talk to inmates about reading and literacy schemes that allow male prisoners in particular to communicate with their children.  The Duchess of Cornwall is also patron of the Literacy Trust and has held events at Clarence House for schoolchildren where she has performed readings and encouraged them to enjoy books.  And at the end of 2013, she presented awards to Literacy Heroes who have worked to spread a love of books - among those honoured were Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, and Happy Days star, Henry Winkler, who takes his reading campaign into schools to help children with dyslexia.

The Duchess and the Fonz - Camilla with her Literacy Heroes in December 2013

The high profile given to literacy and reading by this royal support can only help bring books to a wider audience.  The love of reading that these three royal leading ladies have has figured in much of their work and no doubt will do again in the future.  And all three of spoken how they feel that reading can really change people's lives for the better.  After all, stay with a book long enough and a happy ending is bound to follow.