The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries from across the world. It’s home to a third of the world’s population including from Australia, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya to the UK, Canada and many island nations in between.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools. Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall talks to Tina Daheley about the competition. She also shares her passion for books and how her father instilled in her a love of reading.

The Duchess is also joined by two competition winners, Ethan Charles Mufuma from Uganda, Hiya Chowdhury from India.

We hear from Nigerian novelist Chigozie Obioma, author of The Fishermen and An Orchestra of Minorities. He’s in conversation with the Jamaican writer of Here comes the Sun, and Patsy, Nicole Dennis-Benn. Both novelists explore the peoples and culture of their respective countries in their work and encourage the next generation of writers.

Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lankan writer best known for his cricketing novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, which won the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize and was recently chosen by the BBC as one of its Big Jubilee Reads, celebrating 70 books from across the Commonwealth. He told us about the work of art that has inspired him - the 1985 track 'Russians' by UK popstar Sting, about the Cold War threat of nuclear attack, a song that continues to carry a very human message.

Producer: Andrea Kidd

Image: The Queen Consort during a reception for winners of the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, at Buckingham Palace in London, November 2022 (Credit: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire)