What's inside The Duchess of Cornwall's guest-edited issue of Country Life — and how to get your copy

published 13 July 2022

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

'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

The Duchess of Cornwall's favourite recipe: Roast chicken with tarragon and cream

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

The Duchess of Cambridge is seen photographing The Duchess of Cornwall for the special July 13 guest-edit of Country Life magazine. Taken in the gardens of The Duchess’s private home at Raymill, Wiltshire, by Shona Williams, The Duchess of Cornwall’s country dresser.

The Duchess of Cornwall, as photographed by The Duchess of Cambridge for Country Life

The upcoming 13 July 2022 issue of Country Life is being guest-edited by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall — and

The Duchess of Cornwall’s best-loved recipe, chicken with tarragon and cream, as cooked by John Williams of The Ritz.

How to make The Duchess of Cornwall's favourite dish: Roast chicken with tarragon and cream

John Williams, the revered executive chef of The Ritz, cooks The Duchess of Cornwall's favourite dish: Roast chicken with tarragon

From left to right: Country Life's Paula Lester, Mark Hedges, The Duchess of Cornwall and The Prince of Wales.

Camilla's Country Life: How to watch the behind-the-scenes television documentary about The Duchess of Cornwall's Country Life guest-edit

Find out where and how to watch the ITV documentary 'Camilla's Country Life', all about The Duchess of Cornwall's guest-edited

Bluebell and Beth, The Duchess of Cornwall's Jack Russell terriers, are pictured on the frontispiece of the 13 July 2022 issue, guest-edited by The Duchess.

The Duchess of Cornwall's rescue dogs adorn a royal frontispiece like you've never seen before

This week’s frontispiece breaks from tradition — but they’re still ‘Girls in Pearls’.

Bringing the quintessential English rural idle to life via interiors, food and drink, property and more Country Life’s travel content offers a window into the stunning scenery, imposing stately homes and quaint villages which make the UK’s countryside some of the most visited in the world.