George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon

George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon (born 10 November 1956) is a British peer and arable farmer.

A godson of Queen Elizabeth II,^[1] he studied at Eton College, and graduated from St. John's College, Oxford. He succeeded to the title of 8th Earl Carnarvon on 11 September 2001.

His family seat, Highclere Castle, has since achieved notability as the primary filming location for the television series Downton Abbey.

He is currently second in line to the Earldoms of Pembroke and Montgomery (being a patrilineal eighth cousin of the current Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, William Herbert).^[2]

Family

He married Jayne M. Wilby on 16 December 1989, daughter of Kenneth A. Wilby and Princess Prospero Colonna di Stigliano. They divorced in 1998. They had two children:

• Lady Saoirse Herbert (born 2 June 1991)
• George Kenneth Oliver Molyneux Herbert, Lord Porchester (born 13 October 1992);

Then, on 18 February 1999 he married Fiona J. M. Aitken, daughter of Ronnie Aitken and Frances Farmer; they had one son:

• Hon. Edward Herbert (born 10 October 1999).^[3]

Lady Carnarvon is a historian who has written a biography of her predecessor, Almina, Countess of Carnarvon.^[4]

Lord Carnarvon's uncle, his mother's brother, Hon. Malcolm Wallop, a rancher in Wyoming, served three terms in the United States Senate.^[5]

Ancestry

Arms

Arms of George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon

Coronet A Coronet of an Earl Crest A Wyvern with wings elevated Vert holding in the mouth a Sinister Hand couped at the wrist Gules Escutcheon Per pale Azure and Gules three Lions rampant Argent Supporters Dexter: a Panther guardant Argent semée of Torteaux and Hurts flames issuant from the mouth and ears proper; Sinister: a Lion Argent, each ducally gorged per pale Azure and Gules and chained Or and charged on the shoulder with an Ermine Spot Sable Motto UNG JE SERVIRRAY (ONE I WILL SERVE)

References

External links

• http://www.stately-homes.com/highclere-castle
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_countess.html
• Seymour, Miranda (15 September 2011). "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Fiona Carnarvon – review". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 16 February 2012. 
• Harding, Louette (26 September 2011). "The real drama: Scandal and lost love at Downton's stately pile". The Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 16 February 2012. 
• http://thepeerage.com/p8096.htm#i80958