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 arable farmer. His family seat, Highclere Castle, 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 o ...

''. 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 e ...

, 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 Big Horn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 198 at the 2000 census and 490 at the 2010 census. Geography Big Horn is on the eastern slope of the Big ...

, 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 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 po ...

. 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 her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, 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 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 pr ...

. 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 Almina Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon (née Wombwell; 14 April 1876 – 28 May 1969), was the wife of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, and châtelaine of Highclere Castle in Hampshire. After her second marriage, she became Mrs Almina Denni ...

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