Queen Camilla Joins Rivals Cast to Honour Dame Jilly Cooper's 'Champagne Soul'
The Queen has attended a memorial service celebrating the life of Dame Jilly Cooper, joining stars from the hit television adaptation of her novel Rivals. The service, held at Southwark Cathedral in central London, saw the author described as "a person with a champagne soul" by the Dean of Southwark, the Very Rev Dr Mark Oakley.
A Gathering of Literary and Television Luminaries
Queen Camilla was welcomed to the cathedral by Dean Oakley, where she viewed a picture of Dame Jilly on display. The Queen wore a blue silk dress with a matching cashmere coat by Anna Valentine, carrying a Dior handbag. She was joined by a host of famous faces from the worlds of literature, television, and entertainment.
The congregation included Dame Jilly's literary agent Felicity Blunt and her husband, actor Stanley Tucci. Other notable guests were Dame Joanna Lumley, actor Rupert Everett, television presenter Clare Balding, former footballer Tony Adams, and comedian Rory Bremner. Stars from the Disney+ series Rivals in attendance included David Tennant, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer, and Katherine Parkinson.
Tributes to a 'Sparkling' Literary Icon
During the service, Dean Oakley delivered a heartfelt tribute, stating: "Dame Jilly Cooper was a person with a champagne soul, of good vintage and sparkling for all its worth. She understood human privacies and intimacy, reading the human heart carefully. Full of light, she lit up places and people."
After the service, Dame Joanna Lumley told the Press Association she felt "elated and full of champagne", describing the event as "very touching, sometimes very funny, just sometimes very moving and very beautiful". Danny Dyer called the service "wonderful", while David Tennant described it as "beautiful".
Personal Connections and Celebratory Reflections
The service highlighted Dame Jilly's deep personal connections. Her fictional character Rupert Campbell-Black, from The Rutshire Chronicles which includes Rivals, is said to be partly based on the Queen's ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles, who was among the guests. Queen Camilla's children, Tom Parker-Bowles and Laura Lopes, also attended.
Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth paid tribute to the "fabulous" and "amazing" author, recalling: "Whenever I think of Jilly Cooper, I think of one word: fun. That sums her up. Champagne is being popped in heaven today." He shared anecdotes of their long friendship, noting they first met nearly sixty years ago.
Stanley Tucci praised Dame Jilly's impact, saying: "She lived an incredible life. She changed the lives of so many people for the better with her books. She was an extraordinary person, a brilliant writer, nice person and naughty."
A Legacy of Steamy Sagas and Television Adaptations
Dame Jilly Cooper, who died unexpectedly in October aged 88 after a fall, was renowned for her steamy novels focusing on scandal and adultery in upper-class society. Her works include Riders, Rivals, and Polo, part of The Rutshire Chronicles. Several of her novels were adapted for television, including an ITV series of The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous and a 1990s Riders series.
She also wrote the 1970s sitcom It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, starring Dame Joanna Lumley. Her most recent novel, Tackle!, was published in 2023, written on her manual typewriter named Monica.
Honours and Lasting Influence
Dame Jilly was made a CBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to literature and charity. In 2024, she was appointed a Dame, later describing receiving the honour from the King as "orgasmic". Queen Camilla had previously called her a "wonderfully witty and compassionate friend" and a writing "legend".
The memorial service featured readings from Rivals by actors Alex Hassell and Bella Maclean, and an extract from The Common Years read by Dame Joanna Lumley. The order of service included photographs of Dame Jilly throughout her life.
Irish actress Victoria Smurfit, arriving for the service, said: "We've lost a ray of sunshine. We really have." Gardener and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh, a friend for forty years, described her as "hugely genuine", adding the service was "a way of saying thank you" for a great friend.
Dame Jilly Cooper is survived by her two children, Felix and Emily. The celebration of her life brought together those who cherished her work and personality, honouring a writer whose "champagne soul" continues to sparkle in memory.
