Publisher Description
Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the setting for Julian Fellowes’s Emmy Award-winning PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Catherine Wendell. In this transporting companion piece to the New York Times bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, Catherine, a beautiful and spirited American woman who married Lady Almina’s son, the man who would become the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, presides over the grand estate during a tumultuous time for the British aristocracy. Following the First World War, many of the great houses of England faded as their owners fortunes declined in the new political and social world of the 1920s and 1930s. As war loomed, Highclere’s survival as the family home of the Carnarvons was again in the balance—as was peace between the nations of Europe. Using copious materials—including diaries and scrapbooks—from the castle’s archives, the current Countess of Carnarvon brings alive a very modern story in a beautiful and fabled setting, paying particular attention to the staff who provide Highclere Castle with continuity between generations.
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About The Countess of Carnarvon
Fiona the Eighth Countess of Carnarvon married Geordie, the Eighth Early of Carnarvon in 1999, and they took over Highclere after the death of Geordie’s father. Highclere has become one of the most famous houses in England, as the central character in the series Downton Abbey.
About the Narrators
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
Sandra Duncan is a multi-award winning actress who has appeared as Mrs. Birling in An Inspector Calls, as Bernarda in The House of Bernarda Alba for Shared Experience, and in the West End productions of Abelard and Eloise and The Secretary Bird. Her television credits include appearances in Midsomer Murders, Silk, and as a series regular in Westgate for SABC. She lives and works in London.
Andrew Wincott is a British actor and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He is most known in radio drama as the voice of Adam Macy in The Archers. He has worked with numerous theater companies throughout the UK.