Queen Camilla’s Secret Racy Reading Habit Revealed

0:03 Kalaroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Queen Camilla revealed that she secretly read Lady Chatterley's Lover under her pillow as a teenager, and that Charles sometimes interrupts their quiet reading time by laughing out loud at P.G. Wodehouse. The Queen shares those memories in the BBC documentary The Book That Changed My Life, which explores how reading can help people through isolation, bereavement and imprisonment. Recalling the 1960s when D.H. Lawrence's novel had been the subject of an obscenity trial, Camilla said, As teenagers, you read a lot of romances. It was the moment of Lady Chatterley under our pillows, reading that by torchlight.

0:53 You know the minute something is forbidden, you want to get hold of it. Books remain part of her daily routine with Charles. It's like the best tonic in the world. My husband and I actually read before dinner, just sitting quietly and reading. He loves biographies and P.G. Wodehouse. I occasionally, when I'm deep in a book, hear him roaring with laughter about something. It's very off-putting. I can't get back into my book or I'll suddenly start weeping. But it's a lovely quiet time. I think it would be a complete and utter tragedy if books went forever. Camilla also remembers being mesmerized by Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, particularly its scenes of the French Revolution. Those ghastly women sitting there knitting while everybody had their heads chopped off.

1:37 Columnist Michael Ellis wants to name an airport after Queen Camilla. Writing in the Telegraph, Ellis says her contribution to Britain extends beyond supporting Charles. He points to her work promoting literacy and helping victims of domestic and sexual violence. He places her alongside earlier royal consorts, including Prince Albert, the Queen Mother, and Prince Philip, whose private support helped their spouses carry out the role of sovereign. Ellis also draws a comparison with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which distributes free books to young children. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority recently voted unanimously to begin the formal process of renaming Nashville International Airport in honor of Dolly, which may have inspired Ellis' piece. Royal Lodge could become a home for Camilla if she outlives Charles. Royal commentator Angela Levin has suggested, speaking on Talk TV's YouTube channel, Levin said, There is a rumour that he wants it for Camilla, and he's perhaps getting it ready. This is not a very nice thing to say, but I've heard it from so many different people, and that's what the king wants, if and when he goes before her, so that's one reason why.

2:44 Levin also criticised Andrew's upkeep of Royal Lodge before he left. The place is absolutely in the most terrible situation. Queen Elizabeth's son should have done it very carefully, doing work, keeping it clean, keeping it as a nice place, but he couldn't be bothered. He just didn't spend any money on it, so it's Really, really disgusting. Charles paused a coronation rehearsal to show Prince Louis the crown jewels after appearing thoroughly tired of the preparations Dame Penny Maud Daunt has recalled. Speaking at the Chultman Literature Festival, she said the arrival of his five-year-old grandson transformed the king's mood. We were doing dress rehearsals on the Thursday before and the king was bored out of his mind. He'd just done two weeks of this and he'd had enough. I was watching him glaze over in the coronation chair. and then he suddenly sprung to life because beside him was Prince Louis, who had come to visit. They stopped the rehearsal so that he could show Prince Louis all the crown jewels. That's a memory that I shall treasure. Mordaunt attended the rehearsals because as Lord President of the Privy Council, she would carry the eight-pound sword of state during the 2023 ceremony. Her embroidered dress and cape attracted plenty of attention on the day, but before she entered Westminster Abbey, she had paired the outfit with large fluffy slippers. Before the ceremony kicked off, we were all lined up in the cloisters in Westminster Abbey, ready for when the end of the procession had come through London. We would join the end, and as we went up the aisle, then the royal family would arrive, timed to perfection. But I was going to have to wait around with this whopping

4:14 great sword, and I thought, we've got to stand here for a couple of hours before we even go in. I'm not having that. Someone offered to hold the sword while she waited. Mordaunt also decided to leave her hills off until they were needed. I said, well, I'm not putting my heels on, so I was there in this fabulous demi-couture dress with these great big fluffy slippers on, with all the pursuivants of arms who had got their robes stuffed with fruit pastilles, and I had this nightmare that I was going to forget to put my shoes on. After the coronation, an unnamed member of the royal family sent her a letter joking that she had stolen the show. It began, How kind of the king and queen to come to your event. More palace in just a moment.

4:57 Over the years, many of you have told me that you have someone in your family starting a podcast, a grandson, a niece, or a friend from a book club. If that's you, I have something they might like. My team and I have built a podcast studio called Limit, which lets you write, record, edit, and publish a show all in one place right inside your web browser. It's what we've learned from making this program every day put into one tool, and it's what I'm using right now to record and edit this show. And it's free to try while we're testing it through November. So if there's a podcaster or a creator or social media creator in your life, pass it along. LinusMedia.com. That's L-I-N-N-E-T Media.com. And you can go ahead now and sign up early for free. Charles, Camilla and William will visit Aberfan on Wednesday to mark 60 years since the disaster that killed 144 people, including 116 children. Buckingham Palace has announced that they will join survivors, bereaved families and emergency workers in the Welsh village where a collapsing coal waste tip buried Pantaglass Junior School and nearby homes in 1966. The children had begun their first lesson on the final morning before half-term when the tip collapsed after heavy rain. Five teachers were also among those killed.

6:12 One survivor, Geoff Edwards, was eight. He was among the last children rescued after someone spotted his blonde hair in the debris. He previously told The Mirror... One minute I was listening to the teacher in a math lesson. The next I was buried. I don't know what the hell had happened. Big heavy beams and desks fell on top of me. I tried and struggled to get out, but I just couldn't. There was a little girl's head on my shoulder. She had died, so I couldn't move. I was frightened because that was the first dead person I had ever seen. Edwards will be among those sharing their memories during the anniversary visit. Charles, Camilla and William will attend a short prayer and a moment of silence at the Everfan Hotel. memorial garden on the site of the school. Charles and William will lay wreaths while Camilla will place a posy. At the Aberfan and Methervale Community Centre, they will meet people involved in the rescue effort, including a 96-year-old former police officer. They will also spend time with survivors, bereaved parents, former pupils and members of the Aberfan Wives support group formed for mothers who lost children. A voice choir will perform and Charles will give a speech. William then unveiled a new Aberfan Memorial Tree sculpture at the Insowen Community Primary School. The visit continues a royal relationship with Aberfan that began in the aftermath of the disaster.

7:30 Prince Philip went to the village the following day. Queen Elizabeth waited eight days, concerned that her presence would interfere with rescue work. The delay drew criticism and is widely described as one of her greatest regrets. She returned three more times, including in 2012, to open a new school. For the 50th anniversary, Charles delivered a message from his mother recalling the flowers a young girl had handed her during that first visit. I well remember my own visit with Prince Philip after the disaster and the posy I was given by a young girl which bore the heartbreaking inscription from the remaining children of Aberfan. Since then we have returned on several occasions and have always been deeply impressed by the remarkable fortitude, dignity and indomitable spirit that characterises the people of this village and the surrounding valleys.

8:15 On the saddest of anniversaries... I send my renewed good wishes to you all. Elizabeth R. And there you have it. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue.