-It's one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.

Highclere Castle is known to hundreds of millions of TV fans around the globe as Downton Abbey.

In real life, it's the ancestral home of the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.

-One area we might share some differences in is the sort of tidiness of office zones.

-[ Laughing ] I don't think you can talk, actually.

-But there's much more to this estate than a world-famous castle.

-He's come on since I were here last.

-Oh, yeah.

-Looking after the business is a constant challenge.

-It's going to be £150,000.

-With huge running costs, keeping it afloat is the responsibility of the Carnarvons and just a handful of staff.

-The coaches are on their way -- the point from which we can't return.

-Now we're unlocking the castle doors as we join the family and staff over one critical season... as they fully open the castle for the first time in three years... -Come on.

You have to come, too!

[ Laughter ] -...see Downton Abbey hit the screens again... -Well, it's very exciting to be at the premiere of "Downton Abbey" movie two.

-...and attempt to keep the estate going for future generations.

-No one wants to be the one of a family that somehow loses it on their watch.

-Welcome to the real Downton Abbey.

♪♪ This world-renowned location has been home to the Carnarvon family since the 17th century.

-Well, Highclere Castle means an enormous amount of history and the longevity that the family has been involved with this amazing estate.

It's just the most extraordinary building.

It sits in the most beautiful landscape in North Hampshire in the Hampshire Downs.

It really does mean an enormous amount to the family and I hope to the many thousands of people who come and see it every year, as well.

♪♪ -Geordie, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, has been in charge of the estate for over 20 years alongside his wife, Lady Fiona.

-Geordie and I work well together.

I think quite a good double act.

I think my sense of humor is definitely stronger than his.

I have to prompt him to find his sense of humor sometimes, so that's quite interesting.

-And I've got used to being tolerant and understanding when things go a little bit awry.

Because at these kind of places, something is bound to go awry at some stage most weeks.

♪♪ -Whilst Highclere is a popular visitor attraction, it's still a family home, and the Carnarvons frequently use their famous castle to host family and friends.

-It's the view this morning.

I mean, not a cloud in the sky.

It's just fantastic.

-Today, the iconic dining room is set up for a cozy breakfast.

Like most of the Highclere team, housekeeper Jason does more than one job.

-I absolutely love doing jobs like this because this is what this house was really designed for -- sort of entertain and have the family breakfast and dinners.

Nothing at all like Carson, but it's more for relaxed fare.

But I think it's great.

Good morning, Lady Carnarvon.

-I've got the fruit salad.

-Oh, wonderful.

-Because I made it.

-Oh, excellent.

Good morning.

-For head chef Paul... -She loves this breakfast.

-...catering for the family is a part of his job he takes great pride in.

-I think one of my most favorite parts about being at Highclere Castle is I get to cook for family and sometimes just their friends.

And they want some honest food.

I get to play with all the ingredients and no restraints.

And then I get the instant feedback of, you know, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But, so far, they've always been really impressed.

And the one mistake I've made in 14 years, I was told about it quite quickly.

-Those are delicious.

-[ Gasps ] What a treat!

-I know.

I do not normally have this.

-Lady Carnarvon's guest is her close friend Susannah.

"Smiles," as she's also known, has been helping the Countess research her latest book on Lord Carnarvon's great-grandfather, the 5th Earl.

She's been drafted in to deploy her organizational touch.

-So we're going to sort of restore order to the archives.

-Just like that?

-Just like that.

[ Laughs ] -I don't know if you know, but with the archive boxes, each one is labeled.

Did you know that?

-I mean, you could probably keep the numbering.

You could have a sub, um, sort of title for each box.

-They're stacked.

Yeah.

-So you could actually have, you know, 5th Earl -- letters to his daughter and his trainer.

-That was completely scrummy.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

-Wonderful.

-Very naughty.

-[ Laughs ] -Thank you, Jason.

-Long before "Downton Abbey," the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who was a famous Egyptologist, drew global interest to the estate.

-The 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter discover the tomb of Tutankhamun.

That's a really important part of Highclere's history.

He's the one Carnarvon in the Who's Who book for what he contributed to our knowledge and appreciation of an ancient culture.

-The 5th Earl funded Howard Carter's search and excavation of the most revered pharaoh's tomb, which both men unearthed in 1922.

The Tutankhamun discovery is considered by many the greatest-ever archeological find.

-And I take it it's not going to look any tidier than it did last time.

-To mark the centenary of the discovery, Lady Carnarvon is writing a book on the subject and, for the last six months, has been holed up in her office at the top of the castle.

-Let's have a look.

-What do you think?

-What do I think?

-Ahh!

Reassuringly ordered!

-The office is a treasure trove of never-seen-before letters and photographs from the 5th Earl.

-You know where everything is.

-I certainly don't.

That's the problem.

-Um... -Well, if you sit down there, why don't we start with these boxes here?

What does that one there say?

-So this is Egypt, box 522.

-Hm.

-This is the agreement between the Times and the 5th Earl on the publication.

-Why don't we put that in '22-'23?

-'22-'23.

So, Fiona and I met each other at university, and she was desperate to join the riding club, and I was desperate to get to know her because she was the person to know up there.

And, uh, we met outside a supermarket in Saint Andrew's.

[ Laughs ] And so that's how I met Geordie, through Fiona.

-I honestly -- I mean, I can read most writing, but I can't -- -Oh, come on.

It can't be that difficult.

Let's have a look.

-Shh, shh, shh.

"The..." -Alright.

Right.

Let's have a look.

I'm sure I can... -Okay.

-It looks like a little poem, a little ditty.

I think it says something like "ill-used guest."

So I think he's complaining about the way his host treated him.

I've got absolutely no idea whether it relates to Egypt or whether it should go in miscellaneous.

-Excellent.

[ Speaking indistinctly ] -Helping Fiona with this book has been so exciting.

Um, she gave me the sort of task of looking initially at the breeding and horse-racing interests.

It just opened up so many areas of his life that I knew nothing about.

-Oh, these are I know the 5th Earl.

I can see his hand in these photographs.

-These are very good photographs.

-That's, um, 12-2.

-These are definitely '22-'23.

-Oh, yeah!

-They're very good quality.

-Oh, God.

Yes.

How interesting.

-That's the famous photograph of the, um, car coming out.

Very, very good photographs.

That's a famous photograph, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Lady Fiona's books on the history and previous inhabitants of the castle generates interest and income for the estate, but the mainstay of this heritage property is paying customers through the gates.

-Cheers.

Thank you, love.

-Thank you.

-At visitor reception, Paul is shepherding the new arrivals.

Housekeeper Sheena has hung up her duster and is now marshaling traffic.

-Where do you want me?

-Um, I should go and see Jack.

He's parking over -- Jack's over there, so if you go down and see Jack.

See what he wants you to do.

And, uh, have fun.

-I'm not running around the field.

I'm too old!

-[ Laughs ] -If you've had quite a good experience parking the car, it sets the mood for the day.

If the people are happy when they go into the castle, it makes it a better experience.

If you're grumpy when you start, you kind of look for faults, I think.

♪♪ -Today is going to be very busy.

In the house, they're expecting a capacity turnout... but also, in the estate grounds, an annual country fair is taking place with around 8,000 visitors.

To meet the increased demand at the castle, they've had to draft in extra staff.

-Are you working today?

And -- First time?

My name's John.

I'm the castle manager.

So don't worry.

You're not gonna run off with someone that's complete-- Well, I am completely unhinged, to be honest, but...

But at least you know who I am.

Come along.

You need to be a people person because you are public-facing.

And to deliver any event, you rely on a team.

It's very kind of you to come and help us.

There is a significant team of hardworking people that -- we're very lucky at Highclere -- have been here many years.

-One person who is definitely part of the furniture is head butler Luis, who's been working here for 14 years.

-You got lost?

-Yeah, a tiny bit.

-What's the traffic like coming here?

-Not too bad.

-We got over 1,000 people, so it's quite busy, even from my point of view.

We need to make sure the staff arrives on time.

We're still waiting for another... -Molly's not coming.

She might.

-Molly's not coming?

-She's trying.

She's late.

-Down in the park, the country fair is open for business.

It's very much a family event with lots to see and do.

[ Cheers and applause ] It's also an opportunity for stallholders to sell their wares.

Never one to miss out on an opportunity to tell the public about his passion project, Lord Carnarvon has literally set up shop.

-Well, we're here down at our Highclere Show Country Fair, and we have our stand where we're showing people our oats and haylage for the farm, but also selling our Highclere Castle gin.

Of course, the gin has a little bit of oats in it, so it counts as a farm product on that basis.

-Cheers.

-As part of the pitch, Lord Carnarvon is presenting a drinks masterclass with Lady Carnarvon's PR manager, Hannah.

-We're just gonna do a traditional gin and tonic here, which works brilliantly with some orange and rosemary.

There's a wonderful martini called the Vesper martini, which is -- Vesper was one of the Bond girls in Ian Fleming's books.

He used to come and stay with my grandfather up here at Highclere, so there's a bit of history there, as well.

-Yes.

Thank you.

-The idea of the color purple goes back to when the bishops of Winchester owned all the land around everything here, and the bishop's robes were this color.

But it's just great to see so many people here out enjoying themselves, all these different stands, different types of food, local products, people doing clay-pigeon shooting, training dogs.

Everything you think about in the countryside is here.

-Horse groom Maggie, who's more used to rearing Highclere's racing foals, is today focusing on training of a different kind.

-Okay.

So this is Pip.

Um, she is a registered sheepdog.

She's four years old, and she was the runt of the litter.

And my -- And the shepherdess is a friend of mine, so... And she didn't want to get rid of her, but she didn't want to -- She couldn't keep her 'cause she had to keep too many to train, so she gave her to me.

-Pip will have to fetch a ball on a timed course designed to test agility and speed.

-Today I'm going to try and see how Pip's retrievals are.

This is my wild, untrained dog.

[ Toy squeaks ] Go!

Get it!

[ Whistles] Come on!

Bring it back!

Good girl!

Come here!

Come, come, come, come!

Good girl!

Come here!

Sit!

No, no, no.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Sit down.

Good girl.

-That was 13.85.

-Thank you.

Well done!

Ahh!

We need to speed up.

We need to train for next year.

[ Pip barks ] See?

She agrees.

[ Pip barks ] Back at the castle, the tea rooms are at their busiest.

-Right.

We need to start taking crockery as much as we can downstairs.

-Keen for reinforcements, Luis has enlisted the help of some of the castle's estate office team.

-So we're helping out with afternoon tea.

Luis is a bit short-staffed, so we've come in from the office to help.

-Have you learned the flavors of sandwiches?

-Yes, I actually have.

-What have we got?

-We have cheese and chive, egg, coronation chicken, and salmon.

I really enjoy that we all chip in and help each other because it's good fun.

We have the tea delivery.

-Okay.

-We've got the English breakfast tea.

-How long have you been working here?

-14 years.

-Wow.

-So, I'm the head butler here, and I came before "Downton."

-So, really, you're Carson.

-I'm a shorter Carson.

[ Laughter ] Do you know -- The house looks smaller.

They did the same with the butler.

They shrunk us.

When did you book this?

Long time ago?

-It's my Christmas present.

No.

We're really looking forward to it.

Yeah.

-It's quite special.

Raise your glasses!

Lovely.

Cheese!

"Downton."

-Yay!

-Cheers!

♪♪ -The day has been a success, but for the castle team, there's no let-up.

-The castle and the show have blended well.

So, pleased.

Yeah.

Very pleased.

We've just got to do it all again tomorrow.

♪♪ -Since first being open to the public in the late 1980s, the lifeline of the estate has been paying tourists, and especially since "Downton Abbey," numbers have soared.

-It's worth at this point pointing out exactly what is and what isn't filmed at Highclere.

All the below-stairs scenes in "Downton Abbey" were filmed at Ealing Studios, so you're not going to see Mrs. Patmore's kitchen here today.

-I just want Mrs. Patmore.

-[ Laughs ] I'm so sorry.

♪♪ -As well as showcasing the rooms made famous by "Downton," the business is always looking for variety in what they can offer tourists.

-Have any of you been to Highclere before?

No?

None at all?

Thank you so much for coming.

-One initiative to attract visitors is to combine a castle tour with a personalized insight into life behind the scenes.

-That leaves me just to introduce the 8th Countess of Carnarvon, no less, the world-acclaimed author of five books already.

She shouldn't even be in front of you, as she is on a very tight deadline for her sixth book, which is celebrating the centenary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

It's crept up on Lady Carnarvon, as has the deadline.

She's known for 100 years.

Come on.

So, ladies and gentlemen, Lady Carnarvon.

[ Applause ] -I am on a deadline.

And John is right.

He gives me no sympathy at all.

One of the questions I've been asked so often here is, "What is it like to live in a castle?"

Nobody in their right minds today would build a house with 250, 300 rooms.

Part of sharing a huge house like this is working hard, because we are working every day to keep it going.

In "Downton Abbey," they spent a lot of time in the dining room.

It's an extraordinary room, and several weekends a year, we invite our friends, and it's important to sit down, laugh, converse, drink, eat.

And that's why we got "Downton Abbey."

Julian Fellowes used to come and stay, and it's my soft marketing, I think you'd call it.

-In "Downton Abbey," they say the dogs all are given Egyptian names.

Do you follow that tradition, as well?

-No, I think Julian was doing that because of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and the connection with Egypt.

Well, actually, my niece called one of the Labradors Scooby-Doo because she thought that would embarrass my husband calling for him.

[ Laughter ] I suppose, when I have bright ideas, I follow my nose and think it might be something that many people are interested in.

Thank you for coming.

You're now going to be divided up into groups, head 'round the castle and downstairs.

Thank you very much.

[ Applause ] Thank you.

-As the visitors begin their guided house tour, Lady Carnarvon has to deal with her imminent book deadline now just days away.

-Ahh... My glasses.

I left them somewhere.

There must be a pair.

No, those are rubbish pairs.

That's a pretend pair.

There's normally a pair balanced somewhere.

Ah.

Yes.

Those are better ones, I think.

-[ Speaking indistinctly ] -I'm not doing what I would normally do within the castle, so a lot of things are being put on hold and delayed until I just try to crack through it.

-The 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter's seismic discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb a century ago is a story which ended in the untimely death of the 5th Earl, who's buried in the hills above the castle.

It's an important and emotional subject for Lady Carnarvon.

-I think the 5th Earl and the discovery of Tutankhamen is of interest to many people, not just me.

No one's ever written the story about the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, so, in that way, I've got an entirely blank sheet.

But it's a much more challenging book than I ever thought.

It's trying to make the decisions about what I can include to make the story flow, rather than just every single character or detail, which means you're then completely bogged down in the detail of someone's life, and, yet, I like the details.

You know, he was wearing white shoes in the paddock at Royal Ascot.

And Edward VII told him it's entirely unacceptable and he had to leave.

But he couldn't give a damn.

But I like those small stories.

I think they're really important.

There are various letters describing what he'd found.

I've collected archives and diaries from everywhere.

They've become strewn around because most of his papers, when he died, were left in Carter's house and other places.

It's extraordinary where they're coming back from.

This is a rather wonderful, quite romantic photograph of the excavation in Egypt.

So, this is the 5th Earl as a photographer choosing how to develop and what to take.

And then here the clouds of the dust and the effort.

And he really got on well with the local Egyptians of all different stations in life, from the policemen to the boys and men who worked for him.

I just really like some of these photos.

I thoroughly enjoy, as I've gone on, reading and understanding the man a little bit better, and I suppose perhaps writing with more feeling for the man I'm writing about.

-To commemorate the legacy of this historic discovery, Lord and Lady Carnarvon have undertaken a very special renovation of the castle's basement.

-Before we even really knew about "Downton," we had done a big investment in our Egyptology story in the cellar, which pays tribute to my great-grandfather and Howard Carter and their amazing discovery of Tutankhamun.

It's the 100th anniversary of that find this year.

Probably the greatest archeological find ever of an undisturbed tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh.

-And just like the upstairs, it's up to housekeepers Sheena and Jason to keep the artifacts looking their best.

-I'd like to get in there and dust him.

I think somebody specially has to come in and do it because it doesn't just open.

So I personally have never cleaned the inside but would love to get in there with a duster and a hoover.

♪♪ -Now, I'm guessing that Lord Carnarvon will be sitting down and Howard Carter's standing up.

But I could be wrong.

But bless their souls, they do get rather dusty.

Needs a bit of Head & Shoulders, I think, this one.

[ Laughs ] -Careful they don't fall apart on ya.

[ Laughs ] -It's basically re-enactment of when they broke through for the very first time into Tutankhamun.

Lord Carnarvon said to Howard Carter, "What do you see?"

And he said, "I see wonderful things."

Was it?

Something like that.

-Whilst most of the artifacts in the museum are convincing replicas, the collection does contain a few originals.

-This statue has been lent to us, and every now and again, we take and clean it.

We cannot use dusters or chemicals on it, so we just use paintbrushes and suck the dust up with a hoover.

-Crazily unique, isn't it?

Because it's, uh, like so...

When you look at the history, just how old it is.

And it survived all this time.

-And just shows you how skilled people were with very little tools.

There you go.

Shiny faces.

-Long before this place was a museum, in the era that inspired "Downton Abbey," these very cellars were used by the maids, cooks, and footmen.

-This is where the heart of the house was, where the servants were.

Hustle and bustling around their daily duties.

So this is where we belong, really.

[ Chuckles ] Down in the dark.

-I'm not a servant.

I'm a housekeeper.

I come from a long tradition of housekeepers.

[ Laughs ] -With the castle locked up for the night, Paul, head of visitor reception, and the Carnarvons' chauffeur, is returning after hours for a special mission.

-It's 10 to 9:00.

I'm returning to, uh -- back to Highclere.

Um, it's a hobby of mine to do, uh, photography.

Um, some would say I was really mad coming back to work.

It's not work.

Usually it's at sunset, but the sun's gone now behind the clouds.

But the clouds are important because it can give a different view of the castle.

It's something that I love to do.

♪♪ Let's go and take some photographs.

We're in.

I don't feel naughty because I have permission of Lord and Lady Carnarvon to be here.

If I didn't have permission, I wouldn't dare come here.

The temptation is not that much to break rules.

-In the eight years Paul has worked here, he's taken hundreds of photos of the castle, many with his repurposed fishing pole.

-Put my trusty phone in there.

And hope it doesn't come off.

There's one picture I took, which is -- which ended up in a magazine for Highclere Castle as a cover photograph.

It's like a semi-drone, really.

Um, you're not as high as a drone, but you do get a nice height.

[ Grunting ] Up you go.

Could be a good one.

I can't actually see the screen, but...

So it's a bit like Christmas when you get down here 'cause you don't know what you're gonna get.

It could be a wonky.

So that's one.

Oh.

So there we go.

So that's a cracking one.

You've probably seen that shot from "Downton Abbey."

It's the cars going up the driveway.

That's the beauty of having a great, big, long selfie stick.

Spooky.

Anybody in the castle, any member of the staff will tell you that I don't go up on the third floor in daylight on my own.

I go with other people.

Um, so coming here at nighttime, I tend not to look at windows in case someone's looking out.

Um, because your mind plays tricks, and you might see someone waving at you out the window.

The end of the day, it's an ancient house.

Uh, it's got to have one or two spooks up there somewhere.

-Highclere is much more than just a famous castle.

Across the estate there's landscape gardens, farming, horse stables, and over 50 properties.

All of these are serviced by an extensive plumbing network, most of which dates back to the 19th century.

-We have a lovely climate here where we have enough rain for fantastic landscapes and gardens, but the water is always a challenge and even making sure that the amazing Victorian water engineering on the estate works.

Because without water, none of us can survive!

-And it's not just a question of survival.

Like any other household, the estate gets charged for its water usage, so maintaining the pipes and checking the water meters is essential.

One of those responsible for keeping infrastructure maintained is James.

Today he's training Harriet, who usually works in the office and on the sheep farm.

-Right.

Come on, then.

-Ah!

My big boys!

Look at them.

They're so lazy.

-What do you mean, your boys?

-They're all rams!

"What do you mean, boys?"

-What?

Whole rams?

-They are all rams.

-Whole rams.

-As in, a ram means that they are... -A whole.

Oh.

Okay.

-Otherwise, they wouldn't be called a ram, would they?

I think you stick to your day job.

-[ Laughs ] Highclere is a world-famous estate, and there are always challenges.

You've got buildings which were built by the Victorians and their systems, cutting-edge for their time, are going wrong.

You've got all sorts of things.

So the general maintenance is never-ending.

We look after about just over 10 miles of private water network on the whole estate, so it's really important that we don't have any leaks and we're not just sending money straight back into the grounds.

-James is a fabulous mentor.

-[ Laughs ] No, I think it's -- So you are working directly for the estate.

I used to work directly for the estate, but it's important that you share the knowledge because it took me around five years to learn pretty much the entire estate.

-Because I knew James from university.

He's a good laugh.

We know each other well.

And we can have a bit of banter.

We know where the line is.

[ Laughs ] Um, and, yeah, it's good fun.

When we're together, James has no idea about farming, so we can combine our knowledge.

-Dream team.

-James and Harriet are starting their assessment of the water meters near the top of the estate.

-We're right on top of Siddon Hill, which is the Southern Water reservoir, and then our meter.

So we've got a big pipe that runs straight down the hill, and this supplies almost the entire park.

So it covers the castle, the resident-- some of the residential houses, and some of the fields, also.

So the sheep troughs, the horse troughs, the vineyard.

So this is one of the absolute key ones where we could lose a lot of money in quite a short amount of time if we don't keep on checking it.

-There are 35 water meters across the 5,000-acre estate.

They must all be checked every month to ensure there's no wastage.

-Have you done this bit before?

-No, I haven't, actually.

-So, you have, like, a pressure-reducing valve.

Because we're halfway down the hill now.

So you have a pressure-reducing valve, which basically bleeds off any air, as well.

-Yeah.

-Basically if there's water in that one or this one... -Yeah.

You know you've got a leak.

-Quite a few years ago when I almost first started, I was asked to go read the water meters and I was told the consumption was pretty standard for what it should be, and I entirely disagreed.

In about 12 months, we replaced about a kilometer of water network, and we reduced the bills by around £10,000 to £15,000.

Every little counts when it comes to running, um, large estates like this.

♪ The water whisperer ♪ -You're such a freak.

James is a man of wisdom.

Said no one ever.

[ Laughs ] No.

Um, he's brilliant to work alongside.

We get on really well.

And he does have knowledge.

I don't want to admit that, but, yeah.

So I do learn a lot off him.

-As well as the castle and grounds, the water network supplies 50 properties across the estate.

Lady Carnarvon is checking on the progress of one cottage, which is currently being renovated for her gamekeeper to move in to.

-We have made a huge amount of progress.

Caitlin, you haven't seen it for ages.

-With the Countess is Caitlin, her and Lord Carnarvon's son, Edward, and her house guest Smiles, who's also Edward's godmother.

-It's a little "Hansel and Gretel," isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's 1857.

And it's stained glass.

It's lovely.

-Beautiful!

-When Lady Carnarvon came here previously with Caitlin, it was to make plans on the interior design for what was then a building site.

-Ooh!

Marshmallow snow.

Do you like marshmallow?

-Yes.

-I like marshmallows, toasted, actually.

-Same!

Lovely.

-[ Laughs ] -Today the renovation is almost complete.

-I think this is a really smart kitchen.

This is the same color as you're going for in... -I tend to have one idea and keep with it.

-Yeah.

Well, why not?

-Yeah.

-A doppelganger.

-I think it's very nice, actually.

-So, when do you aim to get it finished?

-I think it's got another two and a half weeks, and Matt should be moving in.

The work that we've done here, we've done really well.

It's the most charming cottage.

Matt, one of our keepers, is going to live here because many of our staff live here as part of their employment package.

So we have a community sort of living in and amongst.

We don't have an enormous number.

And it's from all walks of life.

-Is this, what, the sitting room?

-Yes.

I think the color is really nice.

It's not pink.

It's not yellow.

It's not cream.

It's not white.

It's just quite a warm color.

It's actually quite dark, otherwise.

-Yes.

Absolutely.

And you've got it quite neutral without being dull.

-Yeah.

-What carpet you going for?

-Just fairly workmanlike.

I hope it will give much pleasure to Matt in the short term and then be a really nice kind of rural retreat to come and get away from it all in the future.

-Really charming.

-Yes, it's great to see Smiles.

One of my godparents.

I don't see her enough.

It's lovely that she's come to spend some time with us at Highclere.

-This has been all trimmed.

There used to be a vegetable patch in here.

Eddie, come and show -- Come over here, too.

-Edward is Lord Carnarvon's youngest of two sons.

His sibling, the Earl's eldest son, George... -It's a lovely part of the estate.

-...is next in line to take charge.

-Obviously, it will be my brother's place one day, but I hope I become a partner with him, you know, in ways, in our own little projects together.

And I'm excited for that.

-So are you going to make this into a sort of lawned area?

-Exactly that.

-It's cute.

-This was all overgrown when we last came.

-It was -- That's been cleared.

It was just full of nettles and thistles and ugh.

So I think it's charming, actually.

One of our commitments and obligations is to maintain the buildings, the woods and the land, to take it forward in a better condition than when we found it.

I certainly take it very seriously, for all the levity and laughter, and I think all the team here do, as well.

They take a huge pride in what they're doing, and I love that.

♪♪ -Some of the earliest individuals to take pride in this land were 13th-century monks.

Today the 48 acres of gardens are worked on by just four staff, overseen by the latest in a long succession of head gardeners, Paul.

-Don was my predecessor.

He was in his mid-70s when I arrived.

He was absolutely brilliant.

Um, he carried on working all the way till he, sadly, uh, died.

He'd worked for the 6th Earl.

He'd worked for the 7th Earl.

He'd worked for the 8th Earl.

The guy had so much knowledge in his head, and I just sort of went and tapped into as much of that as I could!

"I'll have that knowledge!

Thank you very much!"

Most of these are going out to get used in tea rooms and around the courtyard.

This year, we've gone very much with a blue theme.

The blue is meant to represent the color, the lavender color of the Highclere Gin, the bottle of the Highclere Gin.

Um, so it's a bit of psychological selling of gin through the power of flower.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -Having completed their checks on the water meters, James and Harriet also need to make sure there's no maintenance jobs needing doing on the estate's residential properties.

-So, yeah, these are some of the tenants' houses.

Kind of central in the park.

And then we have other residential houses which are dotted all the way around.

So, historically, there would have been tenant farmers or anything like that, which are now just let on open market.

-One of the longest-term residents is Gwen, whose late husband, Don, was the previous head gardener.

-Gwen, how are you?

-Oh, I'm fine, thank you.

-Hello.

-Yes.

-Nice to see you.

-Yeah, and you.

-[ Laughs ] -She was pleased to see anybody.

-I know.

How are you getting on with the carpet?

-Very well.

-Yeah?

Happy with it?

-Yeah, I am.

-Good.

That's what we like to hear.

-It's been there 52 years.

-Goodness me!

-And how long have you lived in it?

-50.

-There you go.

-Wow.

There we go.

I think it was about time you had the carpet, then, wasn't it?

Good.

Lovely.

-Right.

Thank you, Gwen.

-Thanks for calling in.

-See you soon.

-See you around.

-See you later.

-Cheers.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-My late husband, Don, came as a gardener.

He died five years ago this month.

Geordie's grandfather, he came to work for.

He was a lovely old man, yeah, and they got on well together.

The Carnarvons are such -- They are kind people.

And they've treated me really well.

-The castle is closed for the day, and with no tourists around, it can finally return to its original use... -You're late, Lady Carnarvon!

-...as a family home fit for entertaining.

-Lovely to see you!

-Good to see you!

-What a treat.

What are you having?

-And what's more, Lady Carnarvon has something to celebrate, as she's just finished her book on the renowned Egyptologist the 5th Earl and his co-discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb 100 years ago.

-Because I have managed to send off my script to the publishers on time, I thought it was really nice to celebrate with some friends who I haven't seen for a long time.

Because all I've been doing is writing.

Whose is this?

This is your second one.

-I'm on to my second one, which is going to be a Lordship.

-Head butler Luis has prepared some specialty cocktails for the intimate gathering.

-We're having a bar spoon of our secret ingredient -- orange marmalade from Lord Carnarvon.

-Every so often, it is so nice to stop and just to sit down and have a couple of cocktails with some friends.

Smiles, do you want -- This is His Lordship.

You can have Clover Club or the English Garden.

They're all very good.

-Um, I will -- I will take your recommendation, Luis.

[ Laughs ] -It is the most important part of life.

It's about being with our friends and family.

-It's great to have everyone here this evening.

That's absolutely fantastic.

And it's a nice sunny evening.

And we're toasting Fiona's completion of her book, "The Earl and the Pharaoh."

Cheers to "The Earl and the Pharaoh."

Great-Grandfather will be looking down on us from Beacon Hill thinking, "Wow.

What a great effort."

-Smiles was very kind because I asked her to help me with it because I knew she knew about horses.

We lived together in university times, and I got a degree in partying, and she got a degree in economics, but her economic thesis was about racehorses and breeding, so I thought perfect for me, so I rang her and said, "Would you help bring some of the research together about the horses and the racehorsing and..." -Then it turned into horse power.

-Then after that -- She did it so well, I said, "Could you move on to horsepower and cars?"

-It's good a hundred years on to celebrate the discovery again, think of what those two men, Carter and Carnarvon, did at the time.

And, um, so Great-Grandfather had an amazing life.

He was one of these people who probably could be called the quiet adventurer.

And it's just great that Fiona's written a biography of his whole life.

-Can't believe you drunk the whole of that.

-Well, you shouldn't have given it to me.

-Oh, good.

-[ Laughs ] -Do I look like Tom Cruise?

-[ Laughs ] Just like Tom Cruise!

-So the job's done, and we're just toasting her efforts this evening.

-My love of gin.

[ Laughter ] -There's only limited time for relaxing, however, as the biggest public event of the summer is almost upon them.

It's midsummer, and the castle is preparing for a huge public event.

Hoping for bumper sales, they're taking in an extra-large delivery of gin.

-Oh, my God.

-Let's go.

let's go.

-Push!

-I'm pushing!

-Look out for John.

He matches the brick wall.

-In the cellar, it's all hands on deck, including from Lady Carnarvon's house guest, Smiles.

-Wow.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -Put one on top?

-We're all helping take in the gin delivery.

Huh.

-720 bottles, Lady Carnarvon.

-Well, I suppose if you've got some, you know -- up to 9,000 people coming.

-How many more are there?

-We're probably halfway.

-Oh.

What fun.

[ Laughter ] [ Indistinct conversations ] Bloody hell.

[ Laughing ] This is quite a lot of work.

-The highlight of the summer calendar at Highclere is a classical music event and celebration of all things British called Battle Proms.

Thousands of people are queuing eagerly to get in.

By the main field, Luis is hoping his cocktail bar will be busy.

-So we're doing mainly cocktails from our gin and from our champagne.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Battle Proms is very special for me.

It's one of my favorite events.

Even I become a bit British, actually.

-The castle hasn't welcomed this many visitors since before the pandemic.

-Well, we're about to open the gates for Battle Proms.

We'll probably have 7,500, 8,000 people tonight.

So it's wonderful to be able to take another step in the direction of normality.

It's one of the coat pegs of our event season at Highclere.

I think Adam wants to open the gate, so I think we need to let him get on with that.

-Thousands of concertgoers eager for patriotic classical music flow in to claim their spots.

The Carnarvons have been hosting this event since the millennium.

-And it's one of our larger outdoor events.

We really get a lot of our friends of the public all 'round here from quite a long way 'round... who love a good singsong evening out.

"Land of Hope and Glory."

"The Sailor's Hornpipe."

Lots of great Elgar tunes.

♪♪ -This event also includes the Parachute Regiment display team the Red Devils, who have set up their drop zone on Lord Carnarvon's front lawn.

-Evening.

Hi.

Yeah.

I'm Lord Carnarvon.

I'm the owner.

We're just going around.

We'll be out of your guys' way.

Okay?

Alright.

I don't want to be landed on, really, too much.

[ Indistinct conversations ] All the load of color and everything.

And it looks so great against the castle, especially as it gets darker and it's lit up.

Hi, John!

-Evening.

-I was ticked off by the NCOs down there that I was gonna be in the way of their person landing on top of me.

-The Carnarvons have invited guests, including ex-England professional footballer Sol Campbell and his family, who've arrived just in time to see the Red Devils descend from the sky.

-I'm looking forward to see them landing!

[ Cheers and applause ] -Fantastic!

-Adding to the British jamboree, Lady Carnarvon has also brought along a right honorable lookalike.

-[ As Winston Churchill ] He's looking very good.

It's good to see that there, that it's all in good hands.

Yes.

They're doing jolly well up there.

-[ Speaking indistinctly ] [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ -For the music performance... -[ Speaking indistinctly ] -...the Carnarvons lead their guests to an enclosure right in the middle of the crowd.

-Excellent.

So we're all in here.

-Head butler Luis is overseeing the catering.

-So this is where we're based.

Alright?

And there's masses of food or whatever you'd like to drink.

-Thank you for inviting us to your little bit scruffy picnic, unquote, with 10,000 people.

-It is -- Yeah.

-Marvelous.

-Highclere has a long history of links to aviation, but today it's all about reveling in the elegance of the most iconic of British aircraft.

♪♪ -Real Spitfire coming in.

Yeah, it's a poignant thing and a great thing of history.

I think everyone feels a sort of romantic shiver when you hear the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines coming in.

[ Engines rumbling ] -I always enjoy that.

♪♪ -Unbelievable!

It's just like -- There's nowhere else in England to be on a night like this.

♪♪ -As the patriotic merriment continues into the night, the event brings the curtain down on Highclere's season showpiece.

-I like this event.

It sort of marks the height of summer.

It's got elements of what we love about being British, I suppose, from the Spitfire to the Red Devils to picnics, whatever the weather, and being together as friends and family in a local community.

And that's what it is above all.

♪♪ -The weather stayed dry.

A few drops of rain, but other than that... We're very busy behind the bar and, um, served a lot of cocktails.

-What a way to finish!

We've had the most spectacular evening.

-I love fireworks.

We all love fireworks.

It just brings out the children in all of us, I think.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Lovely!

Lovely!

♪♪ -Maybe I cry a little bit.

♪♪ -It's been a fantastic evening with the prom concert.

All the sun, color, fireworks.

Everyone having a fantastic time with these thousands of people.

Highclere is fully on form again!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪