George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon (born 10 November 1956), styled Lord Porchester from 1987 to 2001, is a British peer and farmer.
The Earl of Carnarvon | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert 10 November 1956 London, England |
| Spouses | Jayne Wilby
(m. 1989; div. 1998)Fiona Aitken (m. 1999) |
| Parent(s) | Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon Jean Wallop |
| Residence | Highclere Castle |
His family seat, Highclere Castle, has achieved notability as the primary filming location for television series' Downton Abbey and Jeeves and Wooster. Carnarvon and his family live in part of the house, while the rest is used as a venue for hire and is also open to the public much of the summer and on some dates during other months.[1]
Early life
editHerbert was born in Lambeth, London, the son of Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon and an American mother, Jean Margaret Wallop. His mother was born in Big Horn, Wyoming, the granddaughter to Oliver Wallop, 8th Earl of Portsmouth, who had not expected to inherit the title and moved to the American west to become a rancher. His maternal uncle Malcolm Wallop, a rancher in Wyoming, served three terms in the United States Senate.[2] His parents were close friends with Queen Elizabeth II, his godmother.[3] Herbert was a Page of Honour to the Queen. He was educated at Eton and St John's College, Oxford.[4]
He succeeded to the title of Earl of Carnarvon when his father died on 11 September 2001 in Winchester, Hampshire.
Family
editOn 16 December 1989, he married Jayne M. Wilby, daughter of racehorse owner Kenneth A. Wilby and Princess Prospero Colonna di Stigliano (née Frances Loftus). They had two children before divorcing in 1998:[4]
- Lady Saoirse Herbert (born 2 June 1991)
- George Kenneth Oliver Molyneux Herbert, Lord Porchester (born 13 October 1992), the heir to the titles
Then, on 18 February 1999, he married fashion designer Fiona Jane Mary Aitken, daughter of Ronnie Aitken and Frances Farmer; they have one son:[4]
- The Hon. Edward Herbert (born 10 October 1999)
The current Countess of Carnarvon is also a historian who has written two biographies about her predecessors – the first about her husband's great-grandmother, Almina, Countess of Carnarvon, and the second about his grandparents.[5][6] She is the 'godmother' for the cruise ship Viking Mars.[7]
Arms
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References
edit- ^ https://highclerecastleshop.co.uk/categories/admission-tickets, Admission Tickets
- ^ Pickett, Mary – "Downton Abbey" Close to Wyoming Rancher's Heart", Billings Gazette, January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Jeanie, Countess of Carnarvon obituary". The Times. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107th ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 697. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ^ McNish, Stu (1 April 2016). "Video: Lady Almina – the real Countess of Downton Abbey". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey". goodreads.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Viking Mars reveals Countess of Carnarvon as godmother". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Rietstap, Johannes Baptist (2003). Armorial general. Vol. 2. Genealogical Publishing Co. p. 297. ISBN 0-8063-4811-9. Retrieved 26 May 2015.:
Herbert Comte de Carnarvon - Angleterre - (Lord Porchester, 17 oct. 1780; comte de C., 3 juillet 1793) - Parti d'azur et de gueules à trois lions d'argent armés et lampassés d'or 2 et 1 et un croissant d'argent en chef brochant sur le parti Cimier un dragon ailé de sinople tenant entre ses dents une main senestre de gueules Supports à dextre une panthère d'argent tachetée d'émaux divers la tête posée de front jetant des flammes par la bouche et les oreilles colletée d'une couronne partie de gueules et d'azur et enchaînée d'azur à senestre un lion d'argent colleté d'une couronne de gueules Devise UNG JE SERVIRAY."
External links
edit- Seymour, Miranda (15 September 2011). "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Fiona Carnarvon – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 February 2012.