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Kate Middleton shows off her incredible book collection in rare picture taken inside her Kensington Palace home

Prince William and Kate shared two new pictures whilst endorsing a new mental health initiative during coronavirus lockdown

kate middleton penguinbooks
Andrea Caamano
Website Editor
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On Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lent their support to a Public Health England initiative to boost the nation's mental health during the coronavirus pandemic and treated fans to two new pictures taken inside their Kensington Palace home – one which showed Kate at her work desk which featured an impressive book collection.

The Duchess delighted royal fans and avid readers with her collection of Penguin Clothbound Classics, each individually designed by Corlie Bickford-Smith. Each book, which could be seen stacked neatly together on her office desk, retails at around £11 if you buy them in a bundle of three, for £33.

kate middleton penguinbooks

Books in Kate's collection include popular classics such as A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings, Sense and Sensibility, Picture of Dorian Grey, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Odyssey.

MORE: Inside Prince William and Kate Middleton's house at Kensington Palace

The Cambriges are avid readers. Most recently, Prince William revealed that his children were fans of Julia Donaldson's Room On The Broom. The book tells the story of a friendly witch who invites animals to join her on her broom, and help the witch when she is threatened on their journey by a dragon. The doting dad told fellow parents during an engagement in south Wales earlier in the year: "I read this to our children all the time." William has even met the author when she received her CBE for services to literature, and said to her: "Do you realise how many parents you have saved at bedtime?" The author's other popular book, The Gruffalo, is also frequently read in the Cambridge household, and during William's meeting with her, he said: "I know who you are. It's a big hit in our household."

penguin books

George and Charlotte are also familiar with Harry Potter, thanks to their grandad, Prince Charles. The future King spoke about his relationship with his grandchildren in BBC One documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, in 2018. During the programme, the Duchess of Cornwall revealed that her husband has a talent for narrating stories. "He reads Harry Potter and he can do all the different voices and I think the children really appreciate that," she said at the time.

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