Royal fury: Camilla admits she gets 'quite ratty' if Charles interrupts The Archers
CAMILLA, Duchess of Cornwall has admitted she gets "quite ratty" if her husband Charles disturbs her while she listens to The Archers.
The Archers' 70th anniversary performed at Clarence House
On Tuesday, Camilla, 74, hosted a reception for the cast and crew to mark the 70th anniversary of the popular long-running rural soap The Archers. The Royal Family member is a longstanding fan of the drama that charts the ups and downs of life in fictional Ambridge.
During a speech to actors, writers and production team, she described herself as an “Archers addict” and noted that she suffered “severe withdrawal symptoms” after the show "all but disappeared" in the Covid lockdowns.
She referred to the BBC Radio 4 drama as a "faithful companion for a large part of my life".
During the event, the Duchess tried to coax spoilers out of the cast, but her efforts were rebuffed by laughing guests who gathered at the hour-long gathering on Tuesday.
In her speech, she added that she doesn’t like to be interrupted when the programme is on air.
She said: “For as long as I can remember, I have loved this programme.
"It has been my faithful companion for a large part of my life.
“Like many other Archers addicts, I have been known to become quite ratty if disturbed between 7pm and 7.15pm - and, like thousands of others, had severe withdrawal symptoms when you all but disappeared during lockdown.”
She said that she was “very glad” the show was back in full swing, before adding “let's keep it that way".
READ MORE: Camilla 'wonderful' in black dress for The Archers anniversary
During the pandemic, the series featured characters having one-way conversations as a result of lockdown restrictions.
There was also a reduction in the number of episodes each week.
Also in her speech, she thanked those involved for raising awareness of "challenging topics", including modern slavery and alcohol addiction.
She said: "For 70 years of raising awareness of others' hidden struggles, we are deeply grateful."
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Camilla said the show was famous for its “gentle wit, accurate description of rural life and wonderful characterisation”.
The Duchess of Cornwall previously featured in an episode of the drama in 2011 for the show’s 60th anniversary.
She joked with the audience, by saying: "I was thrilled to be asked to appear in an episode ten years ago - although, not being a noted thespian, I was only entrusted to play myself."
At Tuesday’s event, Camilla watched a scene specially created for the occasion in which Ben Archer, played by Ben Norris, discovers the ferret is missing at Clarence House.
In her speech the Duchess remarked it was a huge pleasure to welcome everyone to her abode for the occasion, adding: "MBEs, of course, are particularly welcome - ferrets rather less so..."
To conclude the event, Camilla cut into a tractor shaped cake and was accompanied by June Spencer, the 102-year-old actress who plays Peggy Woolley.
The gathering at the Clarence House event marked the first time in two years that many of the actors had met, due to strict coronavirus measures still being in place for the programme.
Clarence House was suitably decked out for the hour-long event, and guests were able to enjoy a roaring fire, a decorated Christmas tree and sparkling wine.