Peter James, the crime novelist known as Queen Camilla's favourite author, has revealed that royal aides meticulously checked his latest book to ensure every detail was accurate, including how King Charles would put his hands in his pockets.
The 77-year-old writer, creator of the Roy Grace series, said the Queen Consort took a starring role in his previous novel, The Hawk Is Dead, and that each chapter was reviewed by Royal aides.
Royal corrections and a personal touch
James explained that in the first draft, he wrote a scene where Charles stood up, put both hands in his pockets, and said indignantly: "Are you a bloody madman, Detective Grace? Of course my wife is the target!"
"One of them emailed me after I'd sent those chapters. He said 'the King would only ever put one hand in his pocket,'" James said.
The palace setting was suggested by Camilla herself, after she met James on the set of Grace, the ITV show based on his novels, in 2021. One of the principal characters in the book is the Master of the Royal Household, whose real name is Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, but whom James renamed Sir Tommy Magellan-Lacey.
"And the Queen now calls Tony, Tommy," James added.
A life of remarkable encounters
James has stayed in touch with Camilla, describing her as "really good fun" and offering her a cameo in a future series of Grace, starring John Simm. He noted that she is "really helpful" and that he talked to her about what she and the King did at breakfast time.
The author's background includes growing up in Brighton as the son of Cornelia Katz, Royal glovemaker to the late Queen Elizabeth and Diana, Princess of Wales. As a student at London's Ravensbourne Film School in the late 1960s, he was hired as a cleaner for Orson Welles, meeting the Hollywood legend just once.
"The front door opened and in he came, wearing a long coat and a big hat," James recalled. "He looked down at me like something the cat had dropped. And I was tongue tied – I wanted to say 'I'm at film school, I wonder if you can help me.' But all I could say was 'good morning.'"
Research behind the latest novel
James spent several years in North America working as a screenwriter before his first book, thriller Dead Letter Drop, was published in 1981. In the early 2000s, his agent asked him to switch to crime novels, leading to the creation of Roy Grace, based on his friend Dave Gaylor, a real detective with Sussex Police.
"Dave doesn't look like him, but we've worked together very closely with every single book. He reads every 100 pages, tells me what he's really thinking as a homicide detective," James said. "He's introduced me to hundreds of police officers in Sussex, London and around the world."
For his latest novel, Dead in Three Two One, James researched a Brighton hotel modelled on The Grand, a five-star Victorian landmark on the seafront, spending a day there as a uniformed concierge. He observed that most couples at breakfast are on their phones, some read newspapers, and a tiny handful talk – indicating either newlyweds or those having an affair.
Dead in Three Two One by Peter James is out now, published by Macmillan, priced £22 in hardback. James is a National Year of Reading 2026 ambassador, supporting the Go All In campaign to help more people discover the joy of reading.
