Queen Camilla to star in new crime thriller about murder in the palace

Queen Camilla is set to star in a new crime novel by her favourite author Peter James.

Camilla, 77, is an avid fan of James' detective series featuring Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace.

James has written 36 novels, selling 21 million copies worldwide and 21 consecutive UK Sunday Times number ones, as well as topping bestseller lists in Germany, France, Russia, and Canada.

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He's also a New York Times bestseller and his books have been translated into 38 languages.

This latest novel will centre around Grace racing to stop a killer at Buckingham Palace.

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Queen Camilla will feature in the story travelling on the royal train which then derails and one of her trusted aides is shot by a sniper. Grace heads to the palace to investigate.

King Charles also features in the book which is called The Hawk Is Dead: A Killer In The Palace. It is scheduled for release in October 2025.

The Telegraph UK reports the Queen is aware of the book, with James drawing on "extensive research inside the palace".

The official blurb for the book reads: "Outlining the plot, it says: "A tragic accident or a planned attack?... Despite all the evidence, Roy Grace is not convinced the Queen was the intended target ... Failure at this level is not an option. But time is running out before a killer in the palace will strike again."

An ITV dramatisation of the Roy Grace novels called Grace is in its fifth season.

Queen Camilla visited the set of the TV series in November 2021, speaking with the author about his hit series being turned into a TV series.

During the visit, the royal told the author: "I love your books. I've read them all, cover to cover."

At the time James said the Queen had asked him "when I might set a Roy Grace novel in London … and the seed was sown"

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"Where better in London than Buckingham Palace?" he said. "I came up with an idea, which I ran by Her Majesty – and she loved it."

Queen Camilla is a book lover and voracious reader, launching a charity called The Queen's Reading Room which works to "celebrate and promote the power and benefits of reading".

Camilla spoke of the important role books have played in her life via the charity.

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"With their extraordinary power to educate and inspire, books – from authors around the globe – have enriched my life since I was a child. It has therefore been such a joy to watch my Reading Room grow over the years into a thriving book community," she said.

"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."

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