Lady Almina and the real Downton Abbey

by Carnarvon, Fiona Countess of

At 19, with an enormous dowry, Almina married the 5th Earl of Carnavon. Life at Highclere Castle was a dizzying mix of sumptuous banquets for 500 and even the occasional royal visitor. Almina oversaw 80 members of staff - many of whom came from families who had worked at Highclere for generations. But when the First World War broke out, life at Highclere, both upstairs and downstairs, changed forever.