Queen Camilla felt 'much better' amid pneumonia battle thanks to binge-watching raunchy Rivals show
Queen Camilla felt "much better" during her pneumonia battle when she was "binge-watching" raunchy Disney+ TV show Rivals, which was based on the book series by her late friend Dame Jilly Cooper.
Queen Camilla has told how raunchy TV show Rivals made her feel "much better" amid her pneumonia battle.
The 78-year-old royal was forced to pull out of part of the Qatari state visit last December due to suffering from the illness, and when she was at home recovering she "binge-watched" the Disney+ show.
Camilla visited the set of the drama series - which features David Tennant and Aidan Turner - on Monday (12.08.25), and admitted she cannot wait for the second season to be released next year.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Camilla said on the set visit: "I remember watching it last year when I was ill, I had pneumonia.
"I promise you, I binge-watched it and felt much better afterwards. I'm looking forward to this one coming out."
Rivals is based on the book series by the late, great novelist Dame Jilly Cooper - who passed away in October, aged 88 - and Camilla admitted she "galloped through" the books during her younger years.
Asked by actor Alex Hassell - who portrays Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals - if she had a favorite of Jilly's books, Camilla said: "Of course, I did. I’ve read them all."
Victoria Smurfit, who plays Maud O’Hara, asked the queen: "Did you fact-check them for just how delicious the men were and all the horses?"
She replied: "No," but added: "Interesting memories… But I galloped through them.
"It’s just good fun. And I think nowadays people need some good fun. People want to be lifted, don’t they? And just be able to have a good laugh."
Camilla also paid tribute to her late friend Jilly, admitting it is "so sad" about her passing.
She said: "It's so sad about her.
"[She was] a big part of my life for such a long time."
Camilla toured the Rivals set at The Bottle Yard’s TBY2 Studios’ in Bristol.
During her visit, she met various members of the production team as well as lead cast members including Alex, Victoria, Bella Maclean (Taggie O’Hara), David Tennant (Tony Baddingham), Nafessa Williams (Cameron Cook), and Oliver Chris (James Vereker).
Rivals will return in 2026 to Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK and internationally.
