Daily Mail

Camilla works from home – and shares a thrilling shelfie

- By Rebecca English Royal Editor

It is a delightful­ly chaotic room, crammed with letters, books, photograph­s and nick-nacks.

Look closely at the left-hand side and you can even see one of those plastic contraptio­ns that dog owners use to throw balls propped up against the wall (Camilla has two rescue Jack Russells, Beth and Bluebell).

It all leaves the viewer feeling comforted by the fact that the Duchess of Cornwall’s working from home set-up at Birkhall in Aberdeensh­ire isn’t so very different from our disorganis­ed own.

On her slightly battered desk is a jumble of papers, letters, biros and fountain pens. there’s even a card with the price tag attached– just £3! – made by a company amusingly called ‘Queen Bee’.

there are also a few more formal items, such as an inkwell, a blotter and a tartan stamp, along with a vase of spring flowers. But the overall effect is a charming form of organised chaos.

that’s emphasised by the jumble of boxes, bubble wrap, shopping bags and baskets, some still with price tags on them, that litter the floor behind her. On the bookshelf is a smorgasbor­d of reading material. there are books by crime and thriller writer Peter James and H is for Hawk, an award-winning memoir by Helen Macdonald about the year she spent training a northern goshawk.

JK Rowling is known to be a favourite of the duchess: there are several Harry Potters. Camilla previously told the Daily Mail how her grandchild­ren love Charles to read from them at night and revealed how he even does ‘all the funny voices’.

She also has Rowling’s adult novel, the Casual Vacancy. there’s also a copy of the Riviera Set by Mary S Lovell, which follows the lives and loves of American actor Maxine Elliott who infiltrate­d the British upper classes and hung out with the likes of Noel Coward and Winston Churchill. It is also possible to spot J by Howard Jacobson, a Booker-listed dystopian novel. Daily Mail writer Robert Hardman’s celebrated biography of the monarch, Our Queen, also makes an appearance.

the bookshelve­s are also covered with family pictures. A photograph of her daughter Laura Lopes and son-in-law Harry, along with her grand-daughter Eliza when she was a bridesmaid for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge can be seen as well as one of the duchess with her arms around all of her five grandchild­ren.

there’s also a picture of her son tom, cuddling grandson Freddy, and another showing three of her grandchild­ren dressed as guardsmen.

Horses and dogs feature frequently: there are several pictures of her Jack Russells –she has owned at least five.

One blurry picture appears to be of the Queen surrounded by her closest family members, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

there are also several showing what are believed to be her parents Bruce and Rosalind, including shots taken at what appear to be country shoots.

‘Harry Potters and dystopian novels’

 ??  ?? Homely chaos: Camilla’s office includes (1) her dog ball thrower (2) a £3 greeting card (3) a jumble of boxes (4) crime novels by Peter James (5) Harry Potter books (6) family photograph­s (7) snaps of her beloved pets
Homely chaos: Camilla’s office includes (1) her dog ball thrower (2) a £3 greeting card (3) a jumble of boxes (4) crime novels by Peter James (5) Harry Potter books (6) family photograph­s (7) snaps of her beloved pets

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