Millennials developed an unhealthy obsession with Matthew Macfadyen's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which starred Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet. As fans are all too aware, enduring memes include Darcy brooding in his long coat on the misty moors prior to declaring his love. But before Macfadyen captured the internet's heart, Colin Firth was the original Mr. Darcy in the BBC's classic 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel—a fact Queen Camilla knows only too well.
While attending the launch of The Queen's Reading Room Festival at Chatsworth House on Sept. 19—the 250th anniversary of Austen's birth—Queen Camilla couldn't help but reference Firth's performance, which included a scene in which his character emerged from a lake in a wet shirt.
As reported by GB News, Camilla allegedly "raised eyebrows" and "amused guests" by "cheekily" suggesting the event's host, William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington, should recreate Firth's iconic lake scene.
"Who can forget the infamous scene of Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake in the BBC version?" The Queen asked attendees. "Maybe, William [Cavendish], you could be persuaded to reenact this memorable moment in the lake here a little later on—to add to the excitement of the day?"
A plethora of authors and creatives with ties to classic literature, including Bridget Jones writer Helen Fielding, who famously based love interest Mark Darcy on his Pride and Prejudice counterpart, were in attendance.
Discussing the impact of the charitable festival, which is now in its third year, Camilla said, "As some of you may know, my Reading Room started humbly and, in the face of several naysayers, as a list of nine of my favorite novels scribbled on a notepad during the first lockdown." She continued, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that books make life better."
