Queen Camilla has jokingly suggested that an aristocrat should re-enact the famous lake scene from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice during a visit to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The Queen was attending a reception for her annual literary festival, marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth.
Addressing guests in the Painted Hall, Camilla remarked on Chatsworth's role as inspiration for Pemberley in Austen's novel. She quipped to Lord William Burlington, chairman of The Chatsworth House Trust: 'Maybe, William, we can persuade you to re-enact the scene here to add to the excitement of the day?' The 1995 BBC version famously featured Colin Firth as Mr Darcy emerging from a lake, though the scene was set at Lyme Park, not Chatsworth.
The Queen's Reading Room, a charity she founded during the pandemic, is hosting its third festival at Chatsworth. In her speech, Camilla noted: 'It is a truth universally acknowledged that books make life better.' She recalled starting the Reading Room with a list of nine favourite novels during lockdown, which has since grown into an online community of over 180,000.
Camilla, wearing a black polka dot dress by Fiona Clare, greeted authors including Gill Hornby, Richard Osman, and Gyles Brandreth. She also spoke with domestic abuse charity The Elm Foundation about the escapism books provide. Before leaving, she added books to a donation station and admired Austen artefacts, including a first edition of Pride and Prejudice once owned by Lady Caroline Lamb.
