Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, shared a gorgeous new portrait to her Instagram book club on Sunday, and her fans are loving it. The photo, by Jennifer Pattison, in the gardens at Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire, shows Camilla, who turned 74 in July, wearing a blue-and-white patterned dress and relaxing with a book.
Her caption read, “My idea of perfection is sitting in a garden on a lovely evening with a book” – HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. What is your idea of book-ish perfection?
Many of her book-club followers enthusiastically described their own ideas of book-ish perfection in the comments, with one saying, “Earl Grey tea, jammy, buttery crumpets and a woolly blanket!” Another said, “Log fire, glass of red wine, a good book.” While another fan added, “In bed, after a hot bath, [with a] water bottle and clean sheets, and possibly a perfect cup of tea.”
Following the success of her lockdown reading list last year, Camilla launched The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room on Instagram on New Year’s Eve, where she shares recommendations, discussion topics, and interviews with authors. A few of her recent favourites include The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard, The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Camilla faced significant scrutiny in the earlier years of her relationship with Prince Charles. But according to a royal expert – and recent popularity polls – the duchess has slowly won over the UK public and the “dark days” as one of the “three people in this marriage” are now behind her.
In an article last Friday, Camilla Tominey, The Telegraph’s associate editor, explained how the duchess has “slowly won over the British public”. “Half a century on, having softened her look and uncomplainingly got on with the job, the 74-year-old Duchess has slowly won over the British public and is now the 10th most popular member of the Royal family, with a higher approval rating than Harry and Meghan,” she said. “The dark days of being the ‘third person’ in the Prince and Princess of Wales’s marriage are well behind her.”
It would seem that since marrying Prince Charles in 2005, Camilla’s ‘keep calm and carry on’ attitude as one of the frontline working members of the royal family has impressed many in Britain. The duchess is frequently by Charles’ side for official events and diplomatic meetings, and she is also a patron of several charities.
According to YouGov’s recent ‘most popular royalty’ list, Camilla (coming in at number 10) is ahead of Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew respectively. You can see the full list here.