British novelist Dame Jilly Cooper has died at the age of 88.
The author, who was best known for her ‘bonkbusters’ including Rivals and Riders died on Sunday morning after a fall.
In a statement, her children Felix and Emily said: “Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds. Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock.
“We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us.”
The Queen paid tribute to the late writer, releasing a statement sharing that she was “so saddened” to learn of Jilly’s death.
“I was so saddened to learn of Dame Jilly’s death last night,” Camilla wrote. “Very few writers get to be a legend in their own lifetime but Jilly was one, creating a whole new genre of literature and making it her own through a career that spanned over five decades.”
“In person she was a wonderfully witty and compassionate friend to me and so many—and it was a particular pleasure to see her just a few weeks ago at my Queen’s Reading Room Festival where she was, as ever, a star of the show. I join my husband The King in sending our thoughts and sympathies to all her family. And may her hereafter be filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs.”
Writing 18 novels in her lifetime, a new generation of fans fell in love with Jilly’s 1988 best seller, Rivals, after it was turned into a Hulu show in 2024.
The book, which has sold more than 11 million books in the UK alone, also made headlines after Jilly admitted the character Rupert Campbell-Black was based on Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
“He’s been a great friend for a long time… so he’s very like Rupert,” she told The Daily Mail in 2024. “He’s beautiful and blond and stunning”
