Britain's Queen Camilla has hosted Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for a discussion centered on children's literacy and the transformative power of reading.

The pair met on Tuesday as Royal Week commenced in the Scottish capital. An official social media post from the monarchy described their shared "passion for books and a deep commitment to children reading for pleasure" . The palace noted that the Queen and Ms. Rowling discussed the importance of ensuring young people have access to books and the vital role reading plays in opening doors for future generations .

Photographs released by the palace show the Queen smiling alongside the author, who is a patron of the Queen's Reading Room charity. This organization evolved from the book club Camilla launched during the COVID-19 lockdown .

The Queen has previously shared that her grandchildren are fans of the Harry Potter series and that King Charles used to entertain them with dramatic readings of the books. "He does all the voices, because he is a brilliant mimic," Camilla once revealed at a literary event, noting that the children would sit "spellbound" as the King read .

Rowling, whose Harry Potter series has sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, has twice declined a peerage and previously turned down a damehood. She was awarded an OBE in 2001 and made a Companion of Honour in 2017 for her contributions to literature .

The author has also become a polarizing figure in recent years due to her outspoken views on gender identity, which she has consistently denied are transphobic . Her critics have accused her of transphobia, while supporters praise her advocacy for women's rights. In 2023, Queen Camilla addressed authors at Clarence House, urging them to remain true to their calling and to be "unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression," comments that came amid debates over editing classic literature .