Queen pays tribute to 'irrepressible' Jeffrey Archer

Queen Camilla has paid tribute to the bestselling author and former politician Jeffrey Archer, who has died at the age of 86.

"Seldom does an author get to live a life as rich, varied and colourful as any of the characters in their books, or with as many surprising plot twists," the Queen said in a statement.

She added that Archer was "not without flaw", but that "friends will recall him as an irrepressible life force through all the many differing chapters of his life".

The former Conservative MP was jailed for perjury in 2001 after being found guilty of lying and cheating in his 1987 libel case against the Daily Star.

The Queen said he was "an exception to the end" and that it was "with sadness that I learned of his death yesterday, on the eve of publication of his final work and so soon after appearing at my Queen's Reading Room Festival".

"My sympathies go to Mary and the family at this time of sorrow. I hope it may be some consolation for them to know what pleasure Jeffrey brought to me and to so many millions of readers through the pages of his works.

"Wherever the next page turns to, I trust there will be champagne and Shepherd's Pie in abundance. Camilla R."

Archer's parties were known for serving champagne and shepherd's pie to guests.