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Millions of people tuned in to the first two series of Downton Abbey on ITV. One of the stars of the programme is Highclere Castle, a Victorian castle near Newbury, where the series was filmed. Highclere Castle is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.

Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the eighth countess, uncovers the story behind the real Downton Abbey – and it proves to be even more remarkable than fiction. The book covers the same period as the first two series of Downton Abbey. It begins in 1894 with the marriage of 19-year-old Lady Almina into the Carnarvon family and covers the period of the Great War. Lady Carnarvon provides a fascinating insight into what life was really like upstairs and downstairs at Highclere.