Last year, Queen Camilla was forced to miss a number of events, including Remembrance weekend and the Royal Variety Performance, as she fought a chest infection and subsequent pneumonia diagnosis. A friend spoke of how The Queen was extremely "run down" during her long recovery period, but on Monday, December 8, Camilla shared one unexpected activity that made her feel "much better" last year.
The Queen paid a visit to the set of Rivals, the steamy drama based on the novel of the same name by Her Majesty's late friend, Jilly Cooper. The Disney+ show is currently being filmed in Bristol, England, and Camilla—who adored Cooper's books—met with the cast and crew during a lively tour of the set.
Cooper, 88, died in October, but her legacy lives on through the show—and Camilla admitted that Rivals helped her during her long bout with pneumonia. Last December, the Times revealed that Queen Camilla received an early preview of the drama, and while she visited the set, Her Majesty said she watched season one "last year when I was ill, I had pneumonia."
"I promise you, I binge-watched it and felt much better afterwards," The Queen shared, adding that when it comes to season two, "I’m looking forward to this one coming out."
Queen Camilla is pictured with actor Oliver Chris on the set of Rivals.
Queen Camilla is pictured with the cast of Rivals on set in Bristol.
Ironically, the raunchy drama follows a womanizing Olympic show jumper turned politician named Rupert Campbell-Black—and his character was reportedly inspired by none other than Queen Camilla's ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.
It's no wonder that The Queen was eager to watch, given her friendship with Cooper. Per the Times, "so keen was Camilla, a former horsewoman, to see the program that a preview copy was dispatched to her before it was available to the public."
When actress Victoria Smurfit asked Queen Camilla if she had fact-checked the books "for just how the delicious the men were and all the horses," The Queen said, "No," adding, "Interesting memories..."
The Queen proudly paid tribute to her late friend, Jilly Cooper, during the visit.
The Queen visited the show's costume department to take a look at its 1980s-inspired outfits.
However, she admitted she "galloped through" the episodes. "It’s just good fun," Queen Camilla shared. "And I think nowadays people need some good fun. People want to be lifted, don’t they? And just be able to have a good laugh."
Along with the cast, Queen Camilla also met local trainees from the Bristol area who are part of production for the latest season of Rivals. The show works with All Set West, which supports diverse entry-level talent from the region into scripted film/TV production careers.
