Sarah, Duchess of York to start book share initiative for children

One in five children in the UK do not own a book at home, research has shown.

Sarah, Duchess of York is to launch a book share project (Toby Melville/PA) (PA Archive)

Sarah, Duchess of York is planning to launch a book share initiative for children, she revealed on her podcast.

The Duke of York’s ex-wife, who is recovering after undergoing surgery for breast cancer, said: “If we can help one child escape from a sometimes cruel world into a wonderful place then we’ve done good.”

Her Tea Talks co-host Sarah Thomson, the founder of children’s newspaper First News, said they would offer a new way of sharing books, adding: “This doesn’t exist in the format we’re envisaging it and that’s what’s really exciting.

“We just want to bring that whole love of reading and books at a very early age and make it accessible for the masses, for everybody.”

One in five children in the UK do not own a book at home, research has shown.

The duchess revealed her relaxed approach to the returning of the books.

“If they never return it and they don’t share it, it doesn’t matter. We’ll replenish… I always say, don’t I? ‘Put a smile on one child’s face, you’re helping so many’.”

The duchess is following in the footsteps of Queen Camilla, who has long promoted the importance of reading, setting up an online book club during the pandemic which is now the Queen’s Reading Room charity.

Sarah is also working on her third novel – about “historical love”.

“It’s not romance, it’s more love and I’m writing all the different aspects of love … whether it’s same sex or friendship or sisters, it’s all about the heart,” she said.

Sarah has already penned two historical Mills & Boon romance novels, with her co-author Marguerite Kaye.