An Inside Look at Downton Abbey

The show airs on PBS on January 4, but for those of us who simply can’t wait that long, Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, written by the current Countess of Carnarvon, tells the real life story of Catherine Wendell, an American beauty from New York who married Lord Porchester, the 6th Earl of Carnarvon at age 19 and moved to Highclere Castle, where she entertained royalty and London high society. Like the popular PBS show, this well-researched book also tells the tale of the butler, footmen, and “downstairs” staff who kept Highclere running, and the backstory of how World War I affected them all.