The bedtime stories that shaped a prince

THE Prince of Wales has said a life-long passion for literature was instilled in him during his early years, hearing tales from his father.

He said his interest in language had given him a determination to help ensure wider access to books.

In an appeal for funds by the Friends of the National Libraries, the Prince traced his fascination back to his early childhood, listening to Prince Philip reading Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Song Of Hiawatha.

“I can remember the electrifying moment the first time I heard Longfellow’s words, which he uses like music in a mesmerising rhythm that runs throughout the epic poem,” he wrote in a piece for the Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine. “To read great writers is to open a window on a world of experience and wisdom. Shakespeare is perhaps the master, with his unending capacity to conjure complex characters or the visceral sense of riot and revolution, strife or love in words that illuminate brilliantly every facet of what it is to be human.”

The Prince said that both Longfellow and Shakespeare wrote “for everyone” as he called for funds to prevent the closure of libraries.

“Our libraries play a crucial role in preserving the letters of writers,” he wrote.

“They keep our heritage alive by offering insight into the thinking of great writers whose work our libraries make available to everyone, now and in the future.”