Queen Camilla pays tribute to Jilly Cooper as she wishes her 'hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men'

In a fresh statement, Camilla said: "I was so saddened to learn of Dame Jilly’s death last night. Very few writers get to be a legend in their own lifetime but Jilly was one, creating a whole new genre of literature and making it her own through a career that spanned over five decades.

"In person she was a wonderfully witty and compassionate friend to me and so many - and it was a particular pleasure to see her just a few weeks ago at my Queen’s Reading Room Festival where she was, as ever, a star of the show.

"I join my husband The King in sending our thoughts and sympathies to all her family.

"And may her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs. Camilla R".

The Riders and Rivals author died following a fall at her home, with her children, Felix and Emily, confirming the sad news in a statement today.

"Mum, was the shining light in all of our lives," the statement began.

"Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds. Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock.

"We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us."

Queen Camilla and Dame Jilly Cooper shared a long-standing friendship rooted in mutual admiration, shared humour, and a love of books, animals, and the English countryside.

Both women moved in similar Gloucestershire circles for decades — the Queen at her home, Ray Mill House near Lacock and later at Highgrove, and Dame Jilly in Bisley — and their paths frequently crossed through local charity work, literary events and social occasions.

Friends described their relationship as warm, genuine and full of laughter, with Dame Jilly often praising Camilla’s down-to-earth nature and wit.

Their bond strengthened through Camilla’s literary initiative, The Queen’s Reading Room, which celebrates writers and encourages a love of reading.

Dame Jilly was a vocal supporter of the project and appeared at the Queen’s Reading Room Festival at Hampton Court this summer, where the two women were seen greeting each other affectionately.

In her tribute, the Queen recalled that appearance fondly, calling Dame Jilly the “star of the show.”

Dame Jilly, best known for her racy and humorous novels including Riders, Rivals and Mount!, once joked about being “thrilled” when the then-Duchess of Cornwall chose her books as favourites for reading lists.

She admired Camilla’s open support for authors and often spoke warmly of her championing of literature and libraries.

Their friendship reflected shared values more than formality: a love of animals (especially dogs), a mischievous sense of humour, and an appreciation for the slightly chaotic charm of English country life.

Camilla’s tribute — wishing her friend “impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs” in the hereafter — perfectly captured that spirit: affectionate, witty and deeply personal.

When Rivals was published in 1988, some readers speculated that the novel’s charming but philandering television executive, Rupert Campbell-Black, was loosely inspired by men within Dame Jilly's Gloucestershire and polo-playing social circle, which happened to include Andrew Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla’s former husband.

Dame Jilly always laughed off the idea that Rupert was based on one person, saying instead that he was “a composite” drawn from many real-life figures.

She often described him as “every handsome, arrogant, irresistible man you’ve ever met rolled into one.”

Andrew Parker Bowles and Dame Jilly were friends for decades — they moved in the same country and racing circles — but she repeatedly insisted he was not the sole model for Rupert. The similarities, she said, were more about type than about any individual.