Prince Charles leads Dickens celebrations © Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are leading celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Events are being held across the country including a wreath-laying ceremony at the his grave in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey. The congregation will include the largest ever gathering of descendants of the writer as well as representatives from the worlds of literature, film, theatre and the media. Ralph Fiennes, who is starring in a new film of Great Expectations, will give a reading along with Mark Dickens, the novelist's great-great-grandson. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said: "Dickens' humanity and compassion made an extraordinary impact on Victorian England through his writings, which remain immensely popular. This bicentenary should help renew our commitment to improving the lot of the disadvantaged of our own day. Before the ceremony, Charles and Camilla will visit the Charles Dickens Museum in Doughty Street in London, where they will be given a reading by Gillian Anderson, who played Miss Havisham in the recent TV adaptation of Great Expectations.