Behn was the first woman in Britain to make a living from writing, with campaigners spending years for her to be recognised in this way.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
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00:00a playwright, a poet and even a spy for King Charles II. Aphra Behn was a trailblazer for
00:08today's female writers, becoming the first to go professional back in the 1600s.
00:15The legacy of the Canterbury-born writer has now been commemorated with a brand new statue
00:22set to be officially unveiled outside the Beany House of Art and Knowledge,
00:28right in the heart of the city centre. And who better to do it than lover of literature,
00:34Her Majesty the Queen. We were thrilled that she accepted our invitation to come
00:40and honestly couldn't think of anyone better. The Queen is a huge supporter of literary charities,
00:48she's a huge supporter of literacy endeavours, she loves reading and Aphra Behn was a huge
00:55royalist. She herself would be absolutely thrilled if she knew today the Queen of
00:59England were unveiling her statue, she would be just made up. The statue has been sculpted
01:05by Christine Charlesworth, whose design won a public vote. It shows a 17-year-old Aphra
01:12with a book in her hand and a theatrical mask behind her back as she sets out for London
01:18with her family. She never actually revisited Canterbury again, so I wanted her to be walking
01:25on the streets of Canterbury how Canterbury, the people of Canterbury, would have remembered her.
01:31I want people who, like me, have never heard of Aphra Behn to be inspired to go and find out
01:40about her. She was a fantastic person, a real feisty, have-a-go-everything sort of person,
01:46and a wonderful character. It's just amazing. Finally, she's going to be really, really known.
01:54This isn't the first time we've seen Queen Camilla visit the Canterbury area. Back in 2013,
02:01the then Duchess of Cornwall took a trip to the Whitstable Oyster Festival,
02:06alongside Charles, where the pair were even gifted a cake from the Kent Messenger Group.
02:17It's from the local radio station now.
02:21As for today's visit, it seems there'll be a little less fish
02:24and a little more fiction for her to feast on. Oliver, leader of the sacks for KMTV in Canterbury.