Lady Almina and the Real Downton AbbeyFile that under “sentences I never thought I would type.”

Last weekend I went to the King Tut exhibit (currently at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center). Whether it was worth $32 is a debate for another time, but I had an extra reason for being curious about the Egyptian jewelry and artifacts. In Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, I learned that back in 1922, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon — whose castle, Highclere, is the estate better known as “Downton Abbey” — funded Howard Carter’s archaeological expedition that unearthed King Tut’s tomb. The Egypt-crazed and cash-poor earl could afford this thanks to the vast wealth of his bride, Almina Wombwell (!), the illegitimate daughter of an immensely wealthy banker whose money bought her a title and a ticket into high society.

Even if you’re not normally into biographies, Lady Almina is a lively and entertaining read. Part aristocratic tell-all, part archaeological adventure, part WWI military history, and part costume-drama romance, it keeps the story moving without making you feel like you’re being force-fed factoids. And you’ll come out with several cocktail parties’ worth of juicy historical tidbits for your Downton-loving friends.

The only downside to the book is that it’s eventually going to cost me thousands of dollars, because I’m now obsessed with going to England and having high tea at Highclere!

Stephanie Perry
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