The Queen visits Rivals set for behind-the-scenes tour simply months after Jilly Cooper’s loss of life
The Queen has visited the Bristol set of Disney+’s acclaimed drama Rivals, undertaking a behind-the-scenes tour during the filming of its highly anticipated second series.
Camilla is scheduled to meet the cast and crew, learning how the production has boosted the South West’s creative industries, fostering training and opportunities for young talent.
Adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel, the series features David Tennant as TV mogul Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell as lothario Rupert Campbell-Black, and Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara, alongside Danny Dyer, Aidan Turner and Nafessa Williams.
Set in the 1980s Cotswolds, the award-winning drama explores the cut-throat world of British television where careers, marriages, and reputations are at risk.
Filming for the extended 12-episode second series began in May, due in 2026, with Lord Baddingham striving to maintain his company Corinium’s empire.
The visit follows Dame Jilly Cooper’s death aged 88 in October after a fall at her home in Gloucester.
At the Cliveden Literary Festival in October the Queen and gave a speech in which she spoke about the author, known as “queen of the bonkbuster”.
She said Dame Jilly had attended a party at Cliveden House a few years ago, adding that she hoped the author had “uttered her immortal line: ‘I’m going to get absolutely plastered tonight, darling. I love you so much, I want to see two of you’.”
The quote was met with laughter from those watching, before the Queen added: “Dear Jilly, how we’d love to see just one of you here today.”
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Camilla was among the first to pay tribute to Dame Jilly following her death after a fall last Sunday, describing her as a “legend” and a “wonderfully witty and compassionate friend to me and so many”.
The pair were long-standing friends, and the author based her fictional seducer and showjumping lothario Rupert Campbell-Black partly on the Queen’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
The Queen will also meet Dame Jilly’s family and explore the costume department, viewing 1980s-era designs. The first series, launched in October 2024, became Disney+’s most successful UK general entertainment premiere, garnering 11 award wins and 32 nominations, including an International Emmy.
