Horse and dog lover Camilla is to guest-edit an issue of Country Life magazine

The Duchess of Cornwall will guest-edit an issue of Country Life magazine, which will reflect her “love of horses and dogs”, to mark her 75th birthday, the publication has announced.

Camilla will preside over the July 13 edition, following in the footsteps of her husband, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal, who have both guest-edited the magazine.

The duchess’s Country Life will reveal her most cherished view and her favourite recipe, the magazine announced on Wednesday as it launched its 125th anniversary year.

Known as a keen equestrian, the owner of two Jack Russell terriers, and the patron of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Camilla will also celebrate her love of animals in the commemorative edition.

Outdoors enthusiast the Duchess of Cornwall  will guest-edit an issue of Country Life magazine.Outdoors enthusiast the Duchess of Cornwall  will guest-edit an issue of Country Life magazine.
Outdoors enthusiast the Duchess of Cornwall will guest-edit an issue of Country Life magazine.

The issue will also feature a list of “countryside champions” selected by the duchess for making a difference to rural life.

Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla’s son and a Country Life columnist, expressed his “delight” at having his mother on board, but added: “Rather hoping she won’t try to muck around with my copy.”

The duchess will become the magazine’s third royal guest editor, following Prince Charles, who twice took over to mark his 65th birthday in November 2013 and his 70th in 2018. The 2018 edition became the best-selling issue of all time.

Princess Anne took the reins for the July 29 issue, which also became a best-seller, to commemorate her 70th birthday.

Before their respective first marriages, Charles and Camilla were frequently seen together in the countryside sharing their love of horses and all things rural, and both share a passion for the ordinary people behind the UK’s agriculture industry.

Mark Hedges, editor of the magazine, described the duchess as a “passionate countrywoman” and said: “It is a great honour that the Duchess of Cornwall has agreed to guest-edit Country Life in July.”

He added: “Country Life always chooses to salute all that is good and often marvellous in our world and this year we will be celebrating the unique place held by the magazine, as part of our nation’s heritage and in the hearts of our readers – and we now have more than at any time over the past 125 years.”

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