Best-selling author Dame Jilly Cooper has died at the age of 88 after suffering a fall.

The writer died unexpectedly on Sunday morning, with her children Felix and Emily saying it had come as a “complete shock”.

Dame Jilly was a long-standing friend of Queen Camilla, who paid tribute to the author, calling her a "legend" who was a "wonderfully witty and compassionate friend".

She was best known for writing the Rutshire Chronicles, a series of romantic novels based on a fictionalised Cotswolds village.

Her first novel in the series, Riders, was published in 1985 and featured the showjumping lothario Rupert Campbell-Black. Its sequel, Rivals, was recently adapted into a hit Disney+ series.

In a statement, Dame Jilly's children, Felix and Emily, said: “Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds.

“Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock. We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us.”

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