Reviewing politics
and culture since 1913

  1. Culture
28 March 2012

Camilla at The Killing

The first and only time I was jealous of a Duchess.

By Alice Gribbin

Is it the anger of an indignant republican, or a stroppy fan’s tantrum that I feel?

I don’t, of course, resent her an eight-day Scandinavian “tour” with Charles – but how can I not feel sick at the “news” that the Duchess of Cornwall has been welcomed on to the set of Danish drama The Killing? 

And not just welcomed with out-of-character smiles and a (weird) mini curtsey from Sofie Grabol, the actress of our protagonist detective Sarah Lund who is, as my colleague Sophie Elmhirst puts it, “troubled in a below-the-radar, emotionally stunted, no personal life sort of way”.

But no, Camilla was also welcomed on set with “Forbydelsen”-themed gifts in the form of the most iconic piece of knitwear in whodunit history: Sarah Lund’s sweater. If you’re my type of Killing fan you will no doubt know that the traditional Faroe Island jumper, hand-knitted from organic wool of the domestic Faroe sheep, deceptively soft while giving off the “I-can-handle-the-itch” attitude, comes in at well over 200 quid.

Still, my jealousy aside, there’s probably an upshot to Camilla’s visit. It reminds us, after all, that although they foolishly didn’t fork out for the new Mad Men, BBC Four is still there to bring us quality foreign drama. Plus, unlike the 18-month separation from Don Draper that nearly did us in, The Killing Round Three will return in due course. And who needs a jumper right now, anyway?

Content from our partners
Mental health: The productivity puzzle
Resilience starts with design and disclosure
A power for good?

Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month