Many months and many thousands of hours have gone into the making of this special issue, which covers an incredible breadth of topics. Everything from the natural wonders of the South Downs to the gritty and depressing reality of rural domestic abuse come under the microscope, demonstrating The Duchess’s own interests, concerns and hopes.
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall with Country Life Editor Mark Hedges and Paula Lester, Managing and Features editor, at Clarence House in London. Photo: Mark Williamson for Country Life
The issue goes on sale on Wednesday 13th July and will be in all good supermarkets and newsagents; you can also order the issue online here, for the cover price of £4.50 with free delivery.
We’ve also got a very special offer in place: anybody subscribing between now and the end of July, using our 6 issues for £6 offer, will be sent the guest-edit issue.
Contents
‘I have a profound sense of being at home in the countryside’
The Duchess of Cornwall’s leader article discusses her love for rural Britain, but acknowledges its darker side
The Duchess of Cornwall’s rural heroes and heroines
From farmers to beekeepers and equine therapists, many country people have won the admiration of The Duchess. Julie Harding meets her champions — among which is The Prince of Wales
‘I’m terrified of him finding me when he gets out’
The Duchess believes the charities SafeLives and the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust offer a literal lifeline to rural people suffering the terror of domestic violence. Jane Wheatley investigates
Give a dog a home
There ain’t nothing like a rescue, says Katy Birchall, as she salutes Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
Beguiled by a place
The Duchess of Cornwall spent many happy childhood holidays at 18th-century Hall Place, Hampshire. John Goodall examines its history
My favourite view
The Duchess of Cornwall drinks in the splendour of Lochnagar
The mill on the Avon
Monty Don explores The Duchess’s private garden at Raymill, Wiltshire, an unfettered haven of roses, wildflowers, tall trees and even a tiger
The real bionic man
Soldier-turned-author Harry Parker talks to Paula Lester about losing his legs and rediscovering creativity
My three books of a lifetime
The Duchess chooses her favourite reads
‘So noble and so bare’
The sheep-nibbled turf, chalk cliffs and hidden valleys of the South Downs have a special lure. William Shawcross delves into their secrets
The elephant in the garden room
Across rural England, Asian elephants roam. Matthew Dennison discovers the imaginative work of the charity CoExistence, founded by The Duchess’s late brother, Mark Shand
She’s got a ticket to ride
For Brixton children, Ebony Horse Club in south London offers opportunities that can prove life-changing. Oli Bell meets the young riders
My favourite recipe
The Duchess’s meal of choice is a family staple taken to new heights by John Williams, executive chef of The Ritz, discovers Emma Hughes
‘Do I dare eat a peach?’
Throw etiquette to the winds and tuck in, advises Tom Parker Bowles in a piece commissioned by his mother
Say hello, wave goodbye
Dame Susan Hill reflects on embracing the joys of starting a garden and home anew
Daniel St George Chatto’s favourite painting
The artist chooses a chapel crammed with glorious early-Renaissance frescos
At the drop of a hat
Living national treasure Philip Treacy works magic when he makes a hat, finds Flora Watkins
The man who rose to the occasion
From unlikely beginnings, Shane Connolly is the floral designer of royal choice. Anna Tyzack talks to the creator of The Duchess’s wedding flowers
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell dives for ocean-inspired treasures
Interiors
Amelia Thorpe curls up for a good night’s sleep
Painters in the field
Three new artists are contributing to the great collection of the British Sporting Art Trust. Kate Green meets the successors to Aldin and Edwards
Behind the scenes at the Proms
The logistics of staging the BBC Proms season are as complicated as any military campaign. Henrietta Bredin salutes the people who make the greatest musical festival of all possible
Masterpiece
Jack Watkins on the appeal of David Copperfield, the novel Dickens preferred above all his works