The Queen has expressed profound sadness over the absence of her late friend, Dame Jilly Cooper, during a visit to the set of the dramatisation of Cooper’s bestselling novel, Rivals. Camilla toured the studios in Bristol, meeting the cast and crew behind the award-winning Disney+ series, lamenting that a woman who meant so much to her was not there.
The visit to the production of the second series had been arranged prior to Dame Jilly’s death in October. Speaking with Dame Jilly’s son, Felix Cooper, and daughter Emily Tarrant, the Queen shared her grief, stating: "She was such a big part of my life for such a long time. We all miss her so much." She conveyed similar sentiments to show writer and producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, also a close friend of the author, remarking: "It’s so sad she’s not here."
