Queen Camilla honored author Jilly Cooper at the Cliveden Literary Festival, celebrating her wit, legacy, and literary impact.

Queen Camilla honored the late author Dame Jilly Cooper at the 2025 Cliveden Literary Festival, recalling their friendship and quoting Cooper’s famous line about drinking, drawing laughter. She praised Cooper as a “legend” and “wonderfully witty and compassionate friend,” noting that Cooper inspired the character Rupert Campbell-Black, partly based on Camilla’s former husband. Camilla highlighted Cliveden’s literary history, referencing figures like Kipling, Barrie, and Fleming, and mentioned Cooper’s love of the Vesper Martini. Prominent writers including Sir Salman Rushdie and Sir Ian Rankin shared fond memories, celebrating Cooper’s wit, legacy, and impact on literature. Camilla’s presence underscored her support for reading and education.