Damaris Moore of Tyler and Kim Brown of Edmond, Oklahoma talk before the Texas Rose Festival Ladies' Luncheon featuring special guest The Right Honorable Countess of Carnarvon Friday Oct.16, 2015 at the Green Acres CrossWalk Conference Center in Tyler, Texas. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Lady Fiona Carnarvon took a walk down history lane on Friday, sharing the stories that make Highclere Castle, the setting of the popular “Downton Abbey” television show, much more than a backdrop.

As wife of George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, Lady Carnarvon is Countess of Carnarvon and manages the affairs of the Victorian castle, which sits amid 1,000 acres of parkland in England.

Lady Fiona Carnarvon spoke to a record crowd of 1,000 women at the Texas Rose Festival Ladies’ Luncheon at Green Acres’ CrossWalk Conference Center.

She said the Victorian castle, which she and her family live in part of the time, has been home to injured soldiers during World War I, a home for evacuee children during World War II and a place for charity events, such as Easter egg hunts, soccer matches and more.

With more than 200 rooms, the castle is much more than what is shown on television.

Many of the castle’s employees have been there for decades: The gardener for 45 years and a decorator for 55 years, Lady Carnarvon said. The oldest employee is 92, and the youngest employees are teenagers who work in the tearooms during the summer.

But it’s some of the castle’s former inhabitants whose lives bring to life intriguing times of different eras. And it’s some of these lives Lady Carvarvon has chronicled in her books.

The Fifth Earl of Carnarvon had a huge passion for the study of Egypt, and with Howard Carter, found King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Because of this, there is an Egyptian Exhibition in the castle’s cellars.

Lady Almina, the Fifth Earl’s wife, turned the castle into a hospital during World War I.

“She loved giving and spending money on other people,” Lady Carnarvon said.

Lady Catherine, daughter-in-law to Lady Almina, was an American girl. A descendent of Robert E. Lee, she was good and kind, Lady Carnarvon said.

However, her marriage was not to last. Lord Porchester divorced Lady Catherine, but both of them eventually remarried. Both of them lived through World War II and experienced the turmoil and changes that came with that.

During World War II, the entire estate became a part of the war effort, with the castle housing some evacuee children from London, according to its website.

When the U.S. entered the war after Pearl Harbor, it meant a huge change, Lady Carnarvon said.

“Hitler thought it was no consequence when you joined the war,” Lady Carnarvon said.

However, Churchill knew it was quite the opposite, she said.

Three days before Victory in Europe Day, a B-17 bomber with American airmen on board crashed behind the castle, according to the castle’s website.

Working with a team, Lady Carnarvon has retrieved some of the airplane’s remains, the website reads.

Today, the castle is open to the public at least 60 days a year. In addition, there are special tours, charity events and more throughout the year, according to the website.

“I think it’s a great privilege and responsibility,” Lady Carnarvon said of managing the affairs of the castle. “It’s a joy to live there with my family and dogs.”

 

Twitter: @TMTEmily