"An Exception to the End": Queen Camilla Shares Heartfelt Message Following Jeffrey Archer's Passing
Queen Camilla expressed her sympathies to Jeffrey Archer’s family and his ardent readers after his passing.
Queen Camilla’s passion for reading has long been well-known. In January 2021, she launched her own initiative, “The Reading Room,” using the Instagram book club to encourage people to discover reading during the COVID-19 lockdown. What began with her sharing a curated list of personal book recommendations expanded into a thriving community and became an independent charity by 2023. Her initiative highlights a genuine love for literature, with the Queen herself describing books as having “a life-enhancing power.”
Keeping up with this passion, the Queen recently paid tribute to one of her favorite bestselling authors, Jeffrey Archer, following his sad passing at the age of 86. Her Royal Highness issued an official statement, which read, “Seldom does an author get to live a life as rich, varied, and colourful as any of the characters in their books, or with as many surprising plot twists.” She further added, “Archer was not without flaw, but friends will recall him as an irrepressible life force through all the many differing chapters of his life!”
Furthermore, Camilla also called Archer an “exception to the end,” expressing deep sadness upon learning that the celebrated author had passed away. She said that it was especially sad because he passed away “on the eve of the publication of his final work and so soon after appearing at my Queen's Reading Room Festival.” As reported by the BBC, Archer was always a big supporter of the Queen’s Reading Room Charity, and thus, shared a beautiful friendship, leading her to extend her heartfelt sympathies to his family as well as to his millions of dedicated readers worldwide.
The Queen added, “My sympathies go to Mary and the family at this time of sorrow. I hope it may be some consolation for them to know what pleasure Jeffrey brought to so many millions of readers through the pages of his works.” Showcasing just how well she knew the late author, Camilla concluded, “Wherever the next page turns to, I trust there will be champagne and Shepherd's Pie in abundance. Camilla R.” The playful reference was a nod to Archer's famous tradition of serving shepherd's pie alongside champagne to guests at his parties.
