Queen Camilla's a Big Fan of Colin Firth's Wet Shirt Scene

Queen Camilla made a cheeky comment about Colin Firth's wet shirt scene from Pride and Prejudice

(Image credit: Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images/Mark Lawrence/TV Times via Getty Images)

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.

Queen Camilla wearing a polka dot dress and talking about Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice — "Who can forget the infamous scene of Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake in the BBC version?"

"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."

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.