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

British peer A Peerage is a form of crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary and lifetime titled appointments of various ranks, which form both a constituent part of the legislative process and the British hono ...

and farmer. His family seat,

Highclere Castle Highclere Castle is a Listed building#Categories of listed building, 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 ...

, has achieved notability as the primary filming location for 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. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

'' and ''

Jeeves and Wooster ''Jeeves and Wooster'' is a British comedy television series adapted by Clive Exton from P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. It aired on the ITV network from 22 April 1990 to 20 June 1993, with the last series nominated for a British Aca ...

''. 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. Through his father, he is a descendant of the

Lee family The Lee family of the United States is a historically significant Virginia and Maryland political family, whose many prominent members are known for their accomplishments in politics and the military. The family became prominent in colonial Bri ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Early life

Herbert was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

, London, the son of

Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon Henry George Reginald Molyneux Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, (19 January 1924 – 11 September 2001),Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: ...

and an American mother, Jean Margaret Wallop. His mother was born in

Big Horn, Wyoming Big Horn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sheridan County, Wyoming, Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 457 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. History Big Horn is along the ...

, 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 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 at Doct ...

, a rancher in Wyoming, served three terms in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. His parents were close friends with

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 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. ...

, 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 only ...

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 depa ...

and

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, 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 foun ...

. 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, having b ...

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 Almina Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon (''née'' Wombwell; 14 April 1876 – 28 May 1969), was an English socialite, heiress, and philanthropist. She was the wife of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, and châtelaine of Highclere Castle in H ...

, 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: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

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