George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon (born 10 November 1956), styled Lord Porchester from 1987 to 2001, is a

British peer The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term '' peerage'' can be used both coll ...

and arable farmer. His family seat,

Highclere Castle Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about south of Newbury, B ...

, has achieved notability as the primary filming location for the television series ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on P ...

''. 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.

Early life

Herbert was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London, the son of

Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

and an American mother, Jean Margaret Wallop (1935–2019). His mother was born in Big Horn, Wyoming, the granddaughter to

Oliver Wallop, 8th Earl of Portsmouth Oliver Henry Wallop, 8th Earl of Portsmouth (13 January 1861 – 10 February 1943), was a British peer and also served in the Wyoming State Legislature in the United States. Wallop was born at Eggesford House in Devon, England, to Isaac Ne ...

, who had not expected to inherit the title and moved to the American west to become a rancher. His maternal uncle

Malcolm Wallop Malcolm Wallop (February 27, 1933 – September 14, 2011) was an American rancher and politician. He served as a United States Senator from Wyoming from 1977 to 1995. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early years Wallop was born in New Yo ...

, a rancher in Wyoming, served three terms in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. His parents were close friends with

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, his godmother. Herbert was a

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The on ...

to the Queen. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

. He succeeded to the title of

Earl of Carnarvon Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled ''Caernarfon,'' hav ...

when his father died on 11 September 2001 in Winchester, Hampshire.

Family

On 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: * 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: * 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. She is the 'godmother' for the cruise ship ''Viking Mars''.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnarvon, George Herbert, 8th Earl of 1956 births Conservative Party (UK) people 8

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

Living people People educated at Eton College Rothschild family English people of American descent Downton Abbey