The 8th Earl of Carnarvon
George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, was born in London in 1956 and is the eldest son of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and Jeanie, Countess of Carnarvon. He was educated at Eton College and St John’s College, Oxford, and was a Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II, who was also his godmother.
Lord Carnarvon has had an interest in IT for some time and In the 1990s was one of the founder shareholders in Telecom Express a successful start up business in automated telephone services. More recently he was one of the early investors in Call Sign Inc which offers ID protection and security on mobile devices.
Lord Carnarvon succeeded his father as the 8th Earl of Carnarvon in 2001 and is the custodian of Highclere Castle, the family’s Hampshire home for more than 300 years. He is also a farmer, with a lifelong connection to the land and the Highclere Estate. He started Highclere Castle Horse Feeds with his father which still provides quality feeds to the performance horse industry.
Together with his wife, Lady Carnarvon, he has overseen the continuing restoration and development of Highclere, ensuring that the Castle and Estate remain a living, working heritage property. Highclere has become internationally recognised as the setting for Downton Abbey, bringing a new generation of visitors from around the world to discover its history, architecture and gardens.
Lord Carnarvon is particularly conscious of Highclere’s remarkable family history, including the legacy of his great-grandfather, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, whose partnership with Howard Carter led to the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. With Lady Carnarvon he created the amazing Egyptian Exhibition in the Castle Cellars which has both real objects from the dynasties of ancient Egypt and fine replicas of the key objects found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Via his mother and paternal grandmother Lord Carnarvon has a direct connection with the USA and with his friend from Connecticut Adam von Gootkin, he founded Highclere Castle Gin in 2018 which has won many awards and now sells in 30 states around the USA.
Lord Carnarvon, like his father and grandfather continues a love of horse racing, particularly on the flat and as an owner and breeder has had some brilliant success winning over 10 races in the last three years and two of his horses, Pink Lilly and Pearl River have developed quite a following in the local area.