Book review
“Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey” The Lost Legacy Of
Highclere Castle by the Countess of Carnarvon
ISBN 978 – 0 – 7704 – 3562 – 2
Published by Broadway paperbacks of New York in 2011 and
copyrighted by the 8th Countess of Carnarvon
The Public broadcasting system hit television show “Downton Abbey”
has brought worldwide attention to Highclere Castle and a way of life that was
coming to an end during the First World War. The book’s author, the 8th
Countess of Carnarvon, writes the real history of this fabulous Castle which
provided the inspiration for Julian Fellowes Emmy award winning PBS show.
In the history she outlines, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, who
married the current Earl of Carnarvon in 1999, the real story is just as
exciting as the masterpiece classic version written by Fellowes. The era from
1880 up to the First World War was truly a time of Camelot. As the enormously
wealthy heiress and illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild, Almina
Carnarvon brought the resources to the Castle to update both plumbing and
electricity as well as improving the life of all those who lived and worked in
its proximity.
The 5th Earl of Carnarvon, Almina’s husband, was a key
player in Edwardian society well known in royal circles. His interests took full
advantage of the wealth his marriage brought. In fact, much of his life was
devoted to exploration in Egypt. He is most famous for his discovery of the
tomb of Tutankhamun with Howard Carter.
Just as Fellowes found the history of the Castle and changing
social structure fascinating enough to create a television series, the
Countess’s book is even more fascinating given that it is based on the real
history. It’s not just about the fabulous wealth and the jewelry, gowns,
banquets, parties, and travel to exotic places. There was a true sense of
service to country as exemplified by the Countess turning the Castle into a
hospital to treat injured soldiers returning from the war.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and it is spurred
interest in reading about the people of this time who accomplish so much in
their lifetime that shaped the world and brought us into the modern era.
