Queen Camilla proved she is just like everyone else today as she joked about the famous scene of Colin Firth emerging soaking wet from a lake in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. Teasing her host, William Burlington, she was met with laughter as she joked: “Maybe, William, you could be persuaded to re-enact this memorable moment in the lake here a little later on – to add to the excitement of the day?!”
Although fighting against a croaky throat after she was diagnosed with acute sinusitis and undertook a busy number of appearances for Donald Trump’s state visit, the Queen was clearly in her element as she took to the stage at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire to celebrate her beloved Reading Room charity kicking off its third annual festival. Upon her arrival, Her Majesty was met by festival headliners, including Bridgerton author Julia Quinn and Helen Fielding, the brain behind the Bridget Jones series.
She then visited the chapel at Chatsworth and met with domestic abuse survivors, as well as volunteers from the Elm Foundation, a local charity which has recently partnered with the Queen’s Reading Room to learn more about the transformative effects of reading and how it can be a comfort through some of life’s difficult moments.
As Her Majesty was joined by neuroscientist Professor Sam Wass, she was heard to say: “There’s nothing like a book to take you away,” she said. “It helps so much with stress. You can shut yourself away with a book; it’s a safe space.”
As a passionate, lifelong reader, the Queen set up the Reading Room back in January 2021. Recommending new reads every month, the project is, in Queen Camilla’s own words, “a resource, a reassurance and a refuge to all book lovers”.
This year’s festival coincided with the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and was celebrated with a special screening of Pride and Prejudice in the gardens – a poignant touch as Chatsworth doubles as Mr Darcy’s Pemberley home in the movie.
The love for Jane Austen was in the air as the Queen went on to view a special performance of the iconic author’s best-loved works by the Chatsworth Players.
This was followed by a rare look at some of the author’s treasures, which are usually housed at Jane Austen House in Chawton.
The Queen saved the best until last as she had the opportunity to surprise delighted festival goers while they were watching a screening of Pride and Prejudice in the magical and romantic setting of Chatsworth’s gardens.
After she spoke with members of the public during a brief walkabout, the Queen put some of her own books into a donation station set up in aid of the Elm Foundation.
The Queen also praised the online presence of the Queen’s Reading Room. It is now an online community of over 180,000, with an annual audience of 12 million people from 183 countries.
She added: “This is our third festival, offering us the opportunity to celebrate the written word, to learn about the outstanding work of local charities and to spend time with our fellow bookworms. I’m delighted that so many of you have joined us this evening at Chatsworth: writers, actors, publishers and readers… in fact, everyone involved in the wonderful world of books. Without you all we would not be here, so thank you.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, I know that we have plenty of treats in store. I shall therefore stop, in case William feels the need to interrupt me with a sardonic, ‘You have delighted us long enough’.”
