Broadcaster Sara Cox is looking forward to presenting a special World Book Day event from Windsor Castle - and she might be hoping not to repeat a rather embarrassing encounter she once had with Queen Camilla. Sara is fronting a major literary event on 5th March that will include a tour of the Royal Library.
This is said to include more than 45,000 rare books and manuscripts, including annotated Shakespeare folios. With Sara visiting the royal residence and given that we already know that literacy is a cause close to Queen Camilla’s heart, it’s no surprise Sara was asked about any previous encounters with Her Majesty.
The story she shared was even funnier than we could have hoped for, and offers a glimpse into how Queen Camilla is behind closed doors - including how much of a "laugh" she can be.
Sara recounted a story from 2021 when Queen Camilla was still the Duchess of Cornwall. She made an embarrassing mix up that could've gone down badly, had Her Majesty not made light of it and showed her sense of humour.
Speaking to The Observer, Sara said, "She's a laugh. I met her at a celebration for authors that she had at Clarence House. "I mistook her daughter, Laura (Lopes), for an author that I half knew, and so I said to Laura, 'Come over. I'll introduce you to the duchess. Let's go over and say hi'."
Laura played along, so we went over, and it slowly dawned on me who she was, because Camilla was like 'Hiiii' to her own daughter," the star continued.
Sara also added that she wasn’t surprised to hear that Her Majesty and the late Dame Jilly Cooper "got on really well", dubbing them "real kindred spirits". Cooper, famous for her risqué, best-selling books, sadly passed away on October 5, 2025.
Later that month, Queen Camilla paid tribute to her friend with another cheeky tale that supports this idea of the two being kindred spirits. Speaking at the Cliveden Literary Festival in Berkshire, Queen Camilla recalled, "She came to a party here a few years ago where, I hope, she uttered her immortal line, 'I'm going to get so absolutely plastered tonight, darling. I love you so much, I want to see two of you.'"
"Dear Jilly, how we'd love to have seen just one of you here with us today."
This isn’t the only time that Queen Camilla's warm and good-humoured nature has been commented upon. The late Paul O’Grady is said to have praised the Queen for being a "funny woman" who used to give him a surprisingly down-to-earth greeting.
Paul reportedly described the Queen as "a really funny woman - you can have a great laugh with her and you don't feel like you're on ceremony".
"I always get a big hug and kiss from her, too, which always shocks everybody," he added.
