LADY ALMINA On CBS Sunday Morning
The real Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, was featured on yesterday’s CBS Sunday Morning. The lady of the house, The Countess of Carnarvon conducted a tour of the Castle and talked about her predecessor, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, and the subject of her book, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey (RH/Broadway; Tantor Media). As a result, the book rose to #3 on Amazon’s sales rankings and libraries are showing increased holds.
Segment host Martha Teichner says, “the true story of the fifth Earl and his wife Almina beats TV drama…She was the illegitimate daughter of the fabulously wealthy banker, Alfred de Rothschild. She needed respetability as much as the Earl needed cash, to indulge his passions, which included archeology.” He made good use of that cash, to fund the excavation that lead to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, headed by archeologist, Howard Carter.