Queen Camilla has reportedly been giving senior members of the Royal Household nicknames after securing a dream new literary role alongside her husband, King Charles
Queen Camilla has reportedly taken to assigning “nicknames” to senior members of the Royal Household, following her involvement in a project away from royal duties. The Queen, an ardent book advocate who launched the successful Reading Room initiative in 2021, secured a dream role earlier this year when her favourite author, crime novelist Peter James, included both her and King Charles in one of his books.
Camilla is said to play a key role in The Hawk Is Dead: A Killer In The Palace (a part of James’ popular Roy Grace series), a story that involves a detective investigating a murder within Buckingham Palace.
It appears that the Queen has been so inspired by the novel that she’s even begun giving senior members of the Royal household nicknames, as reported by Richard Eden of the Mail, who described how “truth is imitating fiction”.
He penned: “Peter James substitutes the names of Royal Household staff members in his new novel, The Hawk Is Dead, in which fictional detective Roy Grace and Queen Camilla search for a killer in Buckingham Palace.”
He continued: “Now Her Majesty’s favourite crime writer learns that truth is imitating fiction behind palace walls. ‘I’ve heard Camilla is calling senior members of the Royal Household by the nicknames I’ve given them in the book,’ he tells me, divulging: ‘She’s calling the master of the Royal Household (Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt) ‘Tommy’ – in the book he’s ‘General Tommy.'”
Pan Macmillan, the publishers of the novel, described how the story begins with a “cinematic derailment” of the Royal Train, leading Roy Grace on a journey “deep into the heart” of Buckingham Palace.
As the narrative progresses, the detective is tasked with investigating a murder and what seems to be a “royal assassination attempt”. The publisher’s summary also emphasises the Queen’s Reading Room project.
The publisher stated: “Queen Camilla, a well-known book lover and reading champion through her charity The Queen’s Reading Room, has always been one of the first people to receive each Grace novel and is excited to have a starring role, alongside King Charles, in Peter’s latest thriller.”
The official website for the Queen’s Reading Room outlines how the initiative aims to “celebrate and promote” both the “power and benefits” of reading, even featuring a quote from the Queen herself.
Camilla discusses how books have “enriched” her life since childhood, acknowledging their “extraordinary power”. She expressed that it had been a “joy” to see the project develop into a “thriving book community”.
She further commented: “Now a charity, I hope that we, together with our partners, can foster in adults and children alike a lifelong love of literature and connect more people with that special magic that can only be found in the leaves of a book.”
Speaking about the Queen’s love of his work, Peter, with whom Camilla has reportedly struck up a friendship, was “moved to tears” by her selection of Grace as her favourite detective.
He also shared details about the Queen’s inclusion in the book during an interview, saying that he ran the idea by Camilla, and she “loved it”. Peter also revealed that he received “invaluable” input from the royal household, “including Her Majesty”.
