[4], The Hon. In the show, Downton Abbey was turned into a wartime convalescent home for soldiers recovering from injuries. The Earl who dug up King Tut - Eleanor Doughty - The Oldie Highclere Castle is set on 1,000 acres of sculpted parkland, designed for the 1st Earl of Carnarvon by the famous 18th-century landscaper Capability Brown. [4] His daughter Laura Herbert was the second wife of the novelist Evelyn Waugh and mother of the journalist Auberon Waugh. The Queen, pictured withThe Earl Of Carnarvon and Lady Fiona, at the funeral of her close friend Jeanie, Countess of Carnarvon atHighclere Parish Church of Saint Michaels and All Angels. The couple have a 20-year-old son Edward together. The Downton Abbey movie is available for download now and on DVD December 17. It was even suggested in the late 1950s that Porchey may have fathered Prince Andrew, who was born on 19 February 1960. Highclere was used as a hospital for two years until 1916 but as the war gained momentum, the medical equipment was moved to London to cope with rising casualties. The current Earl and Countess of Carnarvon estimate that out of the 300 or so rooms in Highclere Castle, 50 of them are completely uninhabitable, according to Town and Country. Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon - Wikipedia Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty ImagesCurrent resident Countess Carnarvon (Fiona) in the Egyptian Exhibition located in the cellars of Highclere Castle. Lord Carnarvon (right) and his fatherHenry Carnarvon, seventh Earl of Carnarvon (middle), sitting in the 1922 family Red Bug Buckboard circa 1980. Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images He was the Bank of Dad and he adored his only daughter and she adored him, and when she would ask him for money he would say 'Oh yes darling,' so thats the perfect father to have.". The basement of Highclere Castle doesn't contain Mr. Carson's pantry, Mrs. Hughes' sitting room, or the kitchens and servants' hall of Downton Abbey: it's an exhibit of ancient Egyptian artifacts brought to England by the 5th Earl and Countess, open to the public along with other sections of the house. Last week, the real owners of the Downton Abbey castle,George Herbert and his wife Fiona, the eighth Earl and Countess of Carnarvonwho at first sight bore a striking resemblance to the Crawley couple in the TV showappeared in New York City for the release of Highclere Castle Gin, a spirit named after their now world-famous home in North Hampshire, England. Oli Scarff/Getty Images. "Downton Abbey has made us internationally so well known, which has been wonderful to create more tours here and welcome more people, to be able to write books and hopefully have them published, so in that way it has given us a much bigger window on the world," Lady Carnarvon says. He is the godson of Queen Elizabeth II, studied at Eton and graduated from St. John's College in Oxford. 'The family were at the premiere and after-party and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.'. The centerpiece of the room, however, is Napoleon Bonaparte's desk, which was purchased from his estate in 1827, according to the current Countess of Carnarvon's blog. In addition to being depicted in The Crown, Porchie has ties to another beloved period drama. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Crown's Curious Connection to Downton Abbey - AOL The Earl left without saying goodbye to Saoirse.. The current Earl and Countess of Carnarvon estimate that out of the 300 or so rooms in Highclere Castle, 50 of them are completely uninhabitable, according to Town and Country. The formal drawing room is dominated by a 356-piece chandelier from the 1890s made of crystal. We had Vivaldis "Four Seasons" by the Etruscan Temple outside in June looking out over the landscape. George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, 62, is the eighth Earl of Carnarvon and is the real-life owner of Downton Abbey. It was a wedding gift to the 5th Earl and Almina from her father, Alfred de Rothschild. Whether they were walking at Sandringham, Highclere or in Scotland, it was always a great obsession.". The family were at the premiere and after-party and thoroughly enjoyed themselves., News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Revealed: All 76 bank branches that are shutting its doors this month in blow to the High Street with Serena Williams is pregnant AGAIN! Newbury, England -- July 18, 2018. Six series and a premiere in, film crews and costume designers take over the castle for months at a time, creating the heady world of butlers and balls and upstairs-downstairs shenanigans presided over by Hugh Bonneville and Dame Maggie Smith. Who was Lord 'Porchie' Porchester? | Tatler The author of "Carnarvon & Carter," the Countess was researching a biography of the fifth Earl, her husband's great grandfather oddly, none exists when she discovered photos, letters . Highclere Castle Gin debuted in New York on November 14. Rather, they had a rich friendship, based in no small part on their shared love of horses. [4], As of 2020[update], the titles are held by the fifth earl's great-grandson, the eighth Earl, who succeeded in 2001. Lady Fiona, the Earl of Carnarvon 's second wife, has asked his children to leave Highclere Castle the country seat of the. Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. But they share our national obsession with the fictional family that inhabits their historic house on Sunday evenings. On 16 December 1989, he married Jayne M. Wilby, daughter of racehorse owner Kenneth A. Wilby and Princess Prospero Colonna di Stigliano (ne Frances Loftus).