Hay Festival: Duchess flies in and reads to children

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The Duchess of Cornwall has read to children during a visit to the Hay Festival in Powys.

She read an except from Dog Love Books by Louise Yates, a 2010 Roald Dahl Funny Prize winner and a New York Times bestseller.

After she had finished, children's author Michael Morpurgo read an extract from one of his books.

The duchess has spoken in public of her passion for encouraging book reading among children.

She arrived at the annual literary event by helicopter and was greeted by dignitaries.

She then met children, including some taking cookery lessons at the festival.

Easy Peasy Cookery, a company from Ludlow, Shropshire, was teaching children how to make strawberry shortcake biscuits.

The duchess remarked that strawberries were early this year and said "aren't we lucky".

Tish Dockerty, from the firm, said the duchess was very interested in how the biscuits were made from rice flour and sugar.

The duchess also visited other stands, including a drapers from Staunton-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

Owner Carolyn Denham said she spoke to the duchess about sewing and how it was coming back into fashion.

"(I said) When we were feminists we were not allowed to make pickles and jam but now we can, " she explained.

"And that is just like sewing. It's not a girlie thing to do anymore."

"She agreed and laughed and said she wished she had more time to sew."