Author Dame Jilly Cooper died after fall at home, inquest finds

Dame Jilly Cooper died from a caput wounded aft falling astatine her location successful Gloucestershire, an inquest has found.

Katy Skerrett, elder coroner for Gloucestershire, said the 88-year-old writer "fell, possibly down immoderate stairs, sustaining a important caput injury".

Though the autumn was unwitnessed, forensic grounds successful the country surrounding the stairs suggested that it was wherever the autumn occurred.

South Western Ambulance Service were called astatine 5.35pm connected 4 October and arrived astatine Dame Jilly's location astatine 5.56pm, they told the enquiry successful a statement.

Dame Jilly was initially alert and speaking with the unit connected arrival. She did not callback the nonstop details of the fall, with lone a "vague recollection of falling down", but she spoke of having a terrible headache.

She was transferred to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, wherever an urgent CT scan recovered she had sustained a skull fracture, determined apt to beryllium a terminal event.

"The aesculapian sentiment was that this caput wounded was unluckily catastrophic," said Ms Skerrett. "She was made comfortable, her information sadly thereafter deteriorated, and she passed distant successful the exigency section with family".

Dame Jilly's long-standing GP told the inquest that she had fallen doubly previously, successful 2018 and successful September 2024.

She died successful infirmary astatine 8.30am connected 5 October. Her decease was recovered to beryllium accidental, with Ms Skerrett saying "there were nary suspicious circumstances surrounding her fall".

Ms Skerrett extended the "sincere condolences" of the coroner's bureau to Dame Jilly's family.

In a connection aft her death, her children Emily Tarrant and Felix Cooper paid tribute to their mum, saying that "her unexpected decease has travel arsenic a implicit shock".

"We are truthful arrogant of everything she achieved successful her beingness and can't statesman to ideate beingness without her infectious grin and laughter each astir us," they added.

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The author's galore fans included erstwhile premier curate Rishi Sunak, who said her books offered "escapism". She was a long-standing person of Queen Camilla.

One of Dame Jilly's most-loved characters - the showjumping womaniser Rupert Campbell-Black - was partially based connected the Queen's ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.

He was precocious portrayed by histrion Alex Hassell successful the 2024 Disney+ adaptation of her caller Rivals.

In a connection issued by Buckingham Palace aft Dame Jilly's death, Camilla said: "I articulation my husband, the King, successful sending our thoughts and sympathies to each her family. And whitethorn her hereafter beryllium filled with impossibly handsome men and devoted dogs."

A caller variation of Dame Jilly's book, How To Survive Christmas, which was archetypal published successful 1986, volition beryllium released connected 13 November.

Her ceremonial volition beryllium held successful private, successful enactment with her wishes, but a nationalist work of thanksgiving volition beryllium held astatine Southwark Cathedral astatine a aboriginal date, her cause has said.