Queen Camilla shared a fond and humorous memory of her longtime friend, Dame Jilly Cooper, while addressing attendees at a literary festival. Her remarks came six days after the celebrated author’s death at the age of 88.
Speaking at the Cliveden Literary Festival in Berkshire, Queen Camilla affectionately recounted an anecdote about Dame Jilly.
“She attended a party here some years ago where, I believe, she delivered her unforgettable line: ‘I’m going to get so absolutely plastered tonight, darling. I love you so much, I want to see two of you’,” she shared, eliciting laughter from the audience.
“Dear Jilly, how we wish we could have seen even just one of you here with us today.”
The Queen also revealed that the Vesper Martini, famously invented by author Ian Fleming as James Bond’s signature drink, was a favored cocktail of the “much missed” Dame Jilly.
During the event, Queen Camilla engaged with the festival’s founders and participating panelists.
She then formally inaugurated the festival, delivering a speech prior to a panel discussion centered on the importance of reading and literary studies.
Queen Camilla subsequently hosted a reception in the French Dining Room, with attendees including prominent figures such as Sir Salman Rushdie and Sir Ian Rankin.
Earlier in the week, Queen Camilla had led the tributes to Dame Jilly, who passed away following a fall.
In a statement, she expressed her hope that Dame Jilly’s afterlife would be filled “with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs”.
Since Dame Jilly’s passing, there has been a significant outpouring of affection and admiration for her.
Many of the recurring themes within her popular novels – sex, affection, and horses – have been central to these tributes.
At the festival, others joined in expressing their love and appreciation for Dame Jilly.
Speaking to reporters, Sir Ian disclosed that he had read her novel Rivals and “loved it”.
He mentioned having met her on several occasions and that they had maintained contact.
“I received lovely, lengthy letters and cards from her; I think my wife was quite concerned at one point,” he quipped.
He added that she was a “terrific writer,” while Sir Salman simply remarked that it was “a sad loss”.
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