“Downton Abbey” Cast Pokes Fun at “Water Bottle-Gate” for Charity

While she did not partake, the Dowager Countess would likely give her seal of approval for this.

Last week, scores of viewers of the hit series "Downton Abbey" pointed out a historical inaccuracy in a season 5 publicity photo. On Saturday, members of the cast issued a glorious response.

A picture of most of the actors, including Michelle Dockery (pictured on the bottom, second from the right), holding water bottles was posted on the show's social media pages, including Facebook, on Saturday. And the photo was taken for a great cause!

"The cast of 'Downton Abbey' embraced 'water bottle-gate' today by posing for a picture to promote the work of international charity WaterAid," read the caption of the picture, which does not show Maggie Smith, the 79-year-old Oscar and Emmy-winning actress who plays Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham.

"A publicity still released this week hit the headlines when a plastic water bottle was spotted in the corner of the picture," the message added. " The official photograph of The Earl and Lady Edith was cropped and used during the launch of the new season, but it was when an un-cropped version of the image worked its way onto the internet that it sparked a global press frenzy."

//instagram.com/p/rwRFUSNTdT

PHOTOS: "Downton Abbey" stars in and out of costume

Copyright E! Online
Contact Us