Dame Jilly Cooper left an £8.6million fortune in her will when she died, which will be split equally between her two children and her stepdaughter, it was revealed today.
The so-called ‘queen of the bonkbuster’ died aged 88 in October last year – less than 24 hours after she fractured her skull in a catastrophic fall at home.
Dame Jilly was loved for her steamy novels including Riders, Rivals and Polo, part of The Rutshire Chronicles, which focus on horses, sex, scandal and rampant adultery.
Rivals, set in the 1980s against the backdrop of the Cotswolds countryside, has recently been adapted into the award-winning Disney+ TV series starring David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.
Probate records show Dame Jilly left a gross estate of £9,070,307 when she died suddenly last year.
After her liabilities were settled, the net value of her estate was £8.55million, which will be shared between her three children.
Dame Jilly and her late husband, Leo Cooper, adopted two children together: Felix and Emily. Jilly also had a stepdaughter, Laura, from Leo’s previous marriage.
Dame Jilly Cooper pictured at the launch of the Rivals TV show in 2024 died tragically after a fall last year. She was aged 88
Dame Jilly her children Felix and Emily after being made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by King Charles III two years ago. Jilly also had a stepdaughter, Laura
All three will receive an equal share of her fortune, according to The Sun.
Dame Jilly died from a head injury after falling down a flight of stairs at her Cotswolds home last Autumn.
The 88-year-old writer was found by family at her Grade II listed home in Bisley, Gloucestershire, at around 5pm on October 4.
They called for an ambulance and upon arrival, paramedics found Dame Jilly alert and referring to a ‘severe headache’.
She had no memory of the events prior, but had a ‘vague recollection’ of falling down, the inquest into her death heard.
Dame Jilly’s daughter, Emily Tarrant, believed her mother had fallen down the stairs as a ‘trail of blood’ was found in that area of her home where she lived after the death of her husband Leo in 2013.
She was rushed to hospital where a CT scan revealed she had suffered a ‘catastrophic’ skull fracture.
Dame Jilly (right in 1972) and her books were much loved. She enjoyed a glittering and steamy literary career spanning five decades
Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black
Doctors heartbreakingly informed her family it was ‘likely a terminal event’ and she was made comfortable.
The author’s condition deteriorated overnight and she died the following morning in hospital surrounded by loved ones. She had sustained two falls previously in 2018 and September 2024.
Following her death Queen Camilla led tributes to her long-term friend, saying: “I was so saddened to learn of Dame Jilly’s death’.
A host of Rivals actors joined friends and Dame Jilly’s loved-ones to celebrate her ‘extraordinary’ and ‘naughty’ life at a memorial service in central London in January.
Dame Jilly died unexpectedly in October, aged 88, after sustaining injuries from a fall at home, following a glittering and steamy literary career spanning five decades.
Queen Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowle was Dame Jilly’s primary inspiration for her ’24-carat cad’ character of Rupert Campbell-Black in her Rutshire Chronicles novels, including Rivals.
He was also in the congregation with his ex-wife.
Queen Camilla speaks with Dean of Southwark Mark Oakley ahead of a service of thanksgiving for Dame Jilly Cooper held in January. She admired a picture of her great friend outside
Queen Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowles, who was Dame Jilly’s primary inspiration for her ’24-carat cad’ character of Rupert Campbell-Black
Danny Dyer, whose role in Rivals has been lauded, also joined the star-studded congregation
David and Georgia Tennant held hands as they entered the church
Queen Camilla previously described the author as a ‘wonderfully witty and compassionate friend’ and a writing ‘legend’.
A number of Dame Jilly’s novels were adapted for TV, including an ITV series of The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous with Coronation Street star Stephen Billington and Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville, and a Riders series starring Marcus Gilbert during the 1990s.
She was also behind the 1970s sitcom It’s Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, which starred Dame Joanna Lumley.
Dame Jilly wrote the hit novel Mount! and published her most recent work Tackle! in 2023, which she wrote on her trusty manual typewriter named Monica.
The author was made a CBE for services to literature and charity during the 2018 New Year Honours, and in 2024 was made a dame, later describing receiving the honour from the King as ‘orgasmic’.
