Queen Camilla gave a health update during her latest outing in Derbyshire, just days after she had to skip a major royal event due to illness. The Queen visited Chatsworth House on Friday for her annual literary festival and greeted famous book lovers during a reception at the Grade I listed stately home.
The event marked the 250th anniversary of author Jane Austen’s birth. The Queen’s Reading Room, a charity she founded following the success of her Instagram book club during the pandemic, is hosting its third festival at the grounds on Saturday.
After missing the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday because she had acute sinusitis, Camilla said at the start of her speech yesterday: “You will have to excuse me if my voice gives out halfway through, but as you can imagine, I’ve been doing quite a lot of talking the last few days. I’ll try to hang onto it.”
The royal did attend events during US President Donald Trump‘s state visit later in the week, including a glittering state banquet held in his honour at Windsor Castle.
Camilla, who wore a black dress with white polka dots by Fiona Clare, greeted famous faces, including author and president of the Jane Austen Society Gill Hornby, author and TV presenter Richard Osman, and broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth.
She also joked about he lake scene from the BBC adaptation of Pride And Prejudice during her speech.
She said: “It seems only fitting that, in the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, we are reminded that this magnificent backdrop was her inspiration for Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice.
“Who can forget the infamous scene of Mr Darcy emerging from the lake in the BBC version?”
The Queen addressed Lord Burlington, the chairman of The Chatsworth House Trust, and said: “Maybe, William, we can persuade you to re-enact the scene here to add to the excitement of the day?”
The 2005 film adaptation of Pride And Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, was filmed at Chatsworth House.
Although Mr Darcy, played by Colin Firth, strode across fields dripping wet after a swim in the lake in the 1995 BBC version, there was no scene of him rising from the water as Camilla described.
The Queen added: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that books make life better.
“They allow us to see through another’s eyes, they comfort and encourage us, make us laugh, make us cry and free us to travel the globe without stepping outside our front doors.
“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 favourite novels scribbled on a notepad during the first lockdown.
“It is now an online community of over 180,000, with an annual audience of 12 million people from 183 countries, supported by a very special array of literary and literacy friends.”