The Duchess of Cornwall told one of the country’s most decorated Paralympians she loved “saucy moments” after he gave her a copy of his autobiography and warned her about the content.
Camilla was presented with the book by equestrian Sir Lee Pearson, who won triple gold in the Para-dressage at the Tokyo Olympics last year, during a reception at Clarence House.
Sir Lee gave the duchess a copy of his book, I Am Who I Am, and told her: “There are some saucy moments in it.”
The delighted duchess replied: “I love saucy moments. I shall look forward to reading it.”
The duchess, 74, who is patron of the British Equestrian Federation, hosted the reception to celebrate the success of equestrians at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games, held in Japan last year.
Team GB won 13 medals and finished second in the equestrian medal table, one of their most successful games.
Sir Lee, who won individual, freestyle and team gold Para-dressage on his horse Breezer, told Camilla: “You better read it, I might just quiz you on it when I see you next.”
The duchess said she would read it soon and the book was then whisked upstairs to Camilla’s private quarters.
Sir Lee said the book covered everything from “my childhood, to getting employment, to coming out, which was really tough, to my first gold medal. It’s the whole journey.”
One of the “saucy moments” was his description of the moment he first realised he was attracted to someone of the same sex, he added.
Sir Lee also said he had thought about congratulating Camilla on her future title of Queen Consort, which the Queen said was her “sincere wish” in her Platinum Jubilee message, but admitted: “I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate. I’m happy for her if she’s happy.”
Guests at the reception included Team GB and Paralympics GB athletes, horse owners and members of the support teams, including performance managers, coaches, vets and physiotherapists.
They included eventing team gold medallists Laura Collett and Oliver Townend, individual silver medallist Tom McEwen and other Para-dressage medallists Natasha Baker, Sophie Wells and Georgia Wilson.
McEwen, a friend of royal Olympian Zara Tindall who is also based at Gatcombe, the Princess Royal’s estate in Gloucestershire, said he spoke to Camilla about training from her sister-in-law’s yard, while Townend, also a friend of Mrs Tindall’s, joked: “I was speaking to Zara on the phone on the way here and giving her stick for not being here – she was invited – but I think she’s busy looking after the kids.”
Camilla is a keen equestrian who recently described herself as a “pony mad child” and revealed Black Beauty, the standout book from her childhood, still makes her cry.
In an off-the-cuff speech, she thanked the “incredible bunch of riders, athletes and everybody who supports them” for their “brilliant success at Tokyo”, adding: “It was wonderful to see medal after medal after medal on the television – I pray that Paris is going to be even better than that.”
The 2024 Olympics will be held in the French capital,
Camilla added: “Thank you all for giving people so much pleasure. I’m so deeply proud and also envious of everything you do.
“In my far-off youth I used to dream of winning a medal at the Olympics and sometimes I used to drive up the motorway and I used to have to pull into the hard shoulder, when they were hard shoulders, and cry with excitement because I was so moved at me getting this medal, so you know, thanks to all of you doing it.
“I can still dream but actually you make it a reality.”
