With access to The Duchess of Cornwall in her role as Guest Editor of Country Life magazine to mark her 75th birthday, this one-off documentary gives a unique insight into the future Queen Consort, as she immerses herself in her personal passions and engages with some of those closest to her.
Camilla’s Country Life, from award-winning Director Michael Waldman (Inside the Foreign Office), accompanies The Duchess of Cornwall as she plans and oversees a special edition of Country Life during the magazine’s 125th anniversary year, alongside performing her regular royal duties and engagements.
The documentary reveals The Duchess’s love for the British countryside and the people and places that have shaped her. To put the edition together, Her Royal Highness has invited guest writers to discover her passions, reveal her personal countryside champions and meet the people who run the charities and advocate for causes she cares so deeply about.
We follow The Duchess as she joins her husband, The Prince of Wales, at Clarence House, as they prepare to leave for the State Opening of Parliament, on the first occasion The Princeof Wales stands in for The Queen at this constitutional event.
We also join The Duchess as she visits Hall Place, previously the Hampshire home of her grandparents, with her sister Annabel. Together they reminisce about their time there as children. As childhood memories come flooding back, Camilla explains: “I could find my way around here with my eyes shut!”
The two sisters recall rolling down the hills, catching butterflies, dressing correctly for their strict grandmother andwhich of the furnishings they each now have in their respective homes. Annabel reveals that her beloved teddy bear was once buried in the garden by Camilla, who only owned up to it decades later:
The Duchess of Cornwall says: “Yes, Tiddy Bar - he had a very happy resting ground.”
Annabel says affectionately: "I’ve not forgiven her - it still rankles to this day!”
The Duchess visits the Royal Cornwall Show and spots a rose named after her: “It’s very disease-resistant. I can recommend it.” After being invited to taste a range of products including cider and vodka at the show, The Duchess jokes: “I’m still standing…they didn’t fell me!”
At the Grand National in Aintree, The Duchess talks about possibly betting on a horse at 100-1. And at a party for Country Life’s 125th anniversary, she catches up with Paul O’Grady – who The Duchess asked to contribute to a piece about Battersea Dogs and Cats Home - and actress Dame Judi Dench.
We also learn that the Duchess is not afraid to tackle more serious and sensitive issues.
At the Big Jubilee Lunch at the Oval, the Duchess meets 18-year-old Rico Thai-Richards, a member of Project Zero whichis tackling the issue of knife crime. And in Manchester, we follow The Duchess as she meets victims of domestic abuse, an issue she has highlighted for many years.
The Duchess explains: “The countryside is not all roses: there are darker things happening… So anything I can do to help - it’s been a taboo subject for too long.”
On guest editing Country Life magazine, the Duchess says: “It’s quite hard work - but I’m loving it.”
We join The Duchess at the dining room table in Clarence House, as she rolls up her sleeves in her guest editor role, toinspect the final page proofs of her special edition of Country Life. Looking at the article she has personally written about The Prince of Wales, she says: “It’s not easy to write about your husband. I bit through several pencils…”
As The Duchess’s good friend Sarah Troughton - The Queen’s first cousin once removed - says of Her Royal Highness:“She’s certainly not a prude. She’s got a wicked sense of humour - risqué as well as naughty - and that’s what gives her her charm.”