Lady Fiona Carnarvon

The eighth Countess of Carnarvon, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, resides at the glorious Highclere Castle – known to millions as the real-life Downton Abbey. She is a New York Times bestselling author and popular speaker, and helps care for Highclere as a home, a piece of heritage, and a business.

Highclere Castle became famous the world over in 2010 as the setting of the Emmy Award-winning drama Downton Abbey. Though the current house was largely rebuilt in the mid-nineteenth century, the site has been occupied for over a thousand years, and is recorded in the Domesday Book.

The house has played an important role in many historic events, such as when the Fourth Earl drafted the British North America Act of 1867 that led to the foundation of the nation of Canada, and when it served as a hospital during World Way I. Since moving into Highclere with her husband, the Eighth Earl, Lady Carnarvon has sought to share the house and its history with the world.

Lady Carnarvon is the author of several bestselling books about Highclere. The historical works Lady Almina and Lady Catherine detail the history of the house and its inhabitants throughout the First and Second World Wars, respectively. At Home at Highclere profiles five real weekends at the house from throughout history, featuring guest appearances from Henry James and the Prince of Wales. Meanwhile, Christmas at Highclere: Recipes and Traditions from the Real Downton Abbey explores the rituals, routines and food that have defined generations of festivities at the home.