Duchess of Cornwall jokes she wants a cameo as ‘a body dragged from the sea’ in ITV show Grace as she visits the set in West Sussex
- Camilla, 74, joked she wanted a role on ITV show’s Grace as she visited set today
- Joked she could play a ‘body dragged from the sea’ to producers in West Sussex
- Duchess wore electric blue, black and red plaid jacket and spoke Peter James, who featured on The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room
The Duchess of Cornwall joked she’d like a part in ITV’s adaptation of Grace today as she visited the set of the crime drama in West Sussex.
Camilla, 74, was in chilly Shoreham-by-Sea where she joined the crew and stars including John Simm, who plays the troubled Brighton policeman, as well as the writer of the best-selling Roy Grace series, Peter James.
Showing her good sense of humour she asked if she could have a part as ‘body dragged from the sea’ when a Peter suggested they’d have to get her ‘back as an extra’.
The series is one of the latest recommendations of her successful The Duchess of Cornwall Reading Room book club on Instagram.
The Duchess of Cornwall, 74, cut a stylish figure as she visited the set of ITV’s adaptation of The Roy Grace series, created by Peter James, in Shoreham, West Sussex on Thursday
The Duchess of Cornwall with Peter James, holding one of his coats with one of his book scripts printed on the inner lining
Camilla confessed she was a ‘huge fan’ as she arrived at Shoreham Port and was greeted on arrival by James, saying: ‘I love your books. I’ve read them all, cover to cover. So I will know what vaguely is going on.’
The royal looked typically smart in an electric blue, black and red plaid jacket that had a velvet trim around the collar and matching buttons as she spoke to creator, Peter James.
The attention-grabbing garment appears to be a firm favourite for Camilla, who also wore it in February 2015 while touring the Art Worker’s Guild, an organisation dedicated to distinguished craftspeople, artists and designers in London, and again the following year as she attended a children’s literature festival.
Most recently, she donned the bold coat when she visited Gloucestershire Vaccination Centre in December alongside Prince Charles.
James has written a total of 19 Sunday Times No. 1s, sold over 21 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 38 languages.
ITV are currently filming series two of Grace for broadcast in spring next year.
Commenting on the chilly weather, Camilla revealed how she grew up nearby and each day would ‘come over the hill’ to go swimming in Shoreham, so was used to the ‘freezing’ conditions they were filming in.
Duchess of Cornwall with actor John Simm during her visit to the set of ITV’s Adaptation Of The Roy Grace Series By Peter James
Camilla (pictured, with creator Peter James), wore her white blonde-hair carefully coiffed for the meeting
The Duchess of Cornwall (left, and right) watches a scene being filmed from a production tent during her visit to the set of ITV’s adaptation of The Roy Grace series,
ITV are currently filming series two of Grace for broadcast in spring next year. Pictured, Camilla meets actor John Simm
Camilla confessed she was a ‘huge fan’ as she arrived at Shoreham Port and was greeted on arrival by the cast
She then took her place alongside Simm, James and ITV’s Commissioner Huw Kennair-Jones, donning headphones to watch on a large monitor a scene being filmed on the waterfront.
Chatting with James like an old friend – the pair met at a reception for writers Camilla had thrown at Clarence House the week previously – and discussed another of her recommendations, The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins.
She revealed: ‘I’ve seen it twice and the first time I was so terrified I got up and ran out [of the theatre].’
James said: ‘I saw it twice and went to see it the second time as a refresher. I said ‘I’m sure I didn’t find it as frightening last time’. They said ‘it probably was, but you just slept through the first half!’ ‘
On the set of Dead Tomorrow, escorted by producer Kiaran Murray-Smith, the Duchess was delighted to be introduced to stars including John Simm and Richie Campbell.
She complemented Campbell’s character, DS Glenn Branson, for being a ‘snappy dresser’ and joked with Simm about whether he had the ‘sea legs’ for the job.
‘I was just saying to Peter [James], the programme was just how I imagined the character of Roy Grace,’ she said. It’s good casting.’
‘Oh great, that’s good,’ beamed Simm.
The royal looked typically smart in an electric blue, black and red plaid jacket that had a velvet trim around the collar and matching buttons as she spoke to creator, Peter James (pictured)
The Duchess of Cornwall meets cast members during her visit to the set of ITV’s adaptation of The Roy Grace series
On the set of Dead Tomorrow, escorted by producer Kiaran Murray-Smith, the Duchess was delighted to be introduced to stars including John Simm and Richie Campbell
Camilla joined the crew and stars including John Simm (pictured), who plays the troubled Brighton policeman, as well as the writer of the best-selling Roy Grace series, Peter James, on location
A scene is filmed during a visit by the Duchess of Cornwall to the set of ITV’s adaptation of The Roy Grace series, created by Peter James
‘It’s something to look forward to,’ Camilla, clearly a fan also of the programme, added.
She then took her place alongside Simm, James and ITV’s Commissioner Huw Kennair-Jones, donning headphones to watch on a large monitor a scene being filmed on the waterfront.
Asked whether she was a good sailor, she said: ‘I am actually. I am better ion the sea than I am in the air. I’d go on a boat any day. I don’t love it [flying] and try to avoid it when I can. I hate it, really.’
She watched intrigued, adding: ‘You always forgot how much goes on behind the scenes when you watch something.’
Camilla asked Simms whether when, they did take after take, and the weather was getting colder, ‘tempers got a bit short’.
The Duchess of Cornwall with Peter James watches a scene being filmed from a production tent
The Duchess of Cornwall looked typically smart in an electric blue, black and red plaid jacket that had a velvet trim around the collar. Pictured, with Peter James
‘They are actually a lovely bunch on this show,’ he said. ‘It may get a bit fraught, I guess, but actually it’s great.’
Speaking afterwards Simm said shows such as theirs wouldn’t be the success they were if it wasn’t for the quality of the writing and storyline.
‘Without such amazing writing behind it this would be just another generic cop show, I guess,’ he explained.
‘But because of the source material – i am also thinking of the Frost books, Morse books – it’s great to have that wealth of material to draw on. To read the books and get inside the head of my character has been a wonderful experience. The books are hugely successful, so it’s up to us not mess it up.’
He added: ‘I am a voracious reader. I love fiction…crime fiction wasn’t my genre until I got offered this part and devoured them. I am such a stickler for book that I will always opt for that over the film. And actually if I really like the book, I probably won’t even see the film. ‘
Writer James also waxed lyrical about the Duchess’s reading room initiative, saying: ‘About seven years ago a journalist friend sent me a picture of the duchess in her office from the Mail with a row of my Roy Grace books behind her. I just squealed. I wrote to her too say thank you and she wrote me a charming handwritten letter back.
The Roy Grace series is a title recommended by The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room. Pictured, Camilla with Peter James
‘People tend to ignore books. They fall over movies and movie stars and stage actors. The humble author is always lowest down the food chain.
‘But James Bond, that started with a book. Lord of The Rings. Every big movie you have ever seen, probably started with a book.
‘You have a senior royal coming up and extolling the joys of reading in a complete non- esoterical, snobby way. For a humble crime writer like me, that is joy. The literary establishment can have an air of snobbishness about it. Oh, the crime writer, well that’s just a penny dreadful.
‘But she’s taken that away, which is wonderful. She has such a eclectic range of recommendations, it’s a delight.’
While they were chatting Camilla noticed that James was wearing a fantastically eye-catching coat sporting a lining printed with the words from one of his books, Not Dead Yet, on it – made by local Brighton tailor, Gresham Blake.
She loved it so much that she insisted on them having a photograph together with it.
‘It’s giving me a few ideas,’ she joked mischievously, with a nod to her own wardrobe.
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