Countess of Carnarvon

The Earl and the Pharaoh: From the Real Downton Abbey to Tutankhamun

The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun was the most astonishing archaeological find of the twentieth century. It was Lord Carnarvon who held the concession to excavate and whose passion and ability to finance the project allowed Howard Carter’s eventual discovery to take place. Carnarvon’s life, money and sudden death became front-page news throughout the world fuelling rumours that persist today of ‘the curse of the pharaohs’. His beloved home, Highclere Castle, is today best-known as the set of Downton Abbey. Drawing on Highclere Castle’s never-before-plumbed archives, Fiona, the Countess of Carnarvon, charts the twists of luck and tragedies that shaped Carnarvon’s restless and enquiring mind.

This event is sponsored by No. 6 The Square Tearooms.