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The protagonist of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, happens to be one of the Duchess of Cornwall ’s heroines. Camilla made the revelation during a Q&A filmed at Meta’s new offices in King’s Cross last week. When asked which five literary characters she’d invited to a dinner party, the Queen’s daughter-in-law said, “Well I’ve got quite an extraordinary mixture.”
Aside from Elizabeth Bennet, the Duchess’ picks included characters from Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White and Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love.
“I’d have the Count of Monte Cristo. And then I’d have two rather devious characters to spice up the whole thing. I’d have Mrs. Danvers, dressed in black, and then I’d have Count Fosco from The Woman in White. I think they’d cause quite a lot of trouble. I just wanted somebody a bit different,” Camilla said.
“Then I’d have another heroine of mine, Elizabeth Bennett. Just a good strong woman to keep the show on the road, so to speak. And then I’d have Uncle Matthew from the Pursuit of Love, probably with his entrenching tool to keep everybody under control,” she continued. “There are a lot more people I’d like to have, but I think that would be a very good mixture.”
The video was shared Monday on the Duchess’ Reading Room’s Instagram page, which launched in January 2021. The literary hub aims to help readers and non-readers find and connect with books they will love, while also celebrating books from around the world and the people who create them. Camilla is said to be an “enthusiastic reader” and is also patron of several literacy charities.
According to the Daily Mail , Camilla was asked in 2015 which storybook character she would most like to be. Elizabeth Bennet was one of the royal’s answers, along with Winnie the Pooh. The Duchess reportedly explained, “I would love to have my fingers stuck in honey.”
