Highclere: Behind the Scenes

-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.

-...since I'm 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.

-I'll get in there.

[ 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 the family that somehow loses it on their watch.

-Welcome to the real Downton Abbey.

Set high in the Hampshire Downs is Highclere Castle.

Designed by Charles Barry, who was also responsible for the Houses of Parliament, this Grade I-listed building has been the ancestral home of the Earls of Carnarvon since 1679.

Today, the responsibility for looking after the castle falls to the 8th Earl, George Carnarvon, and his wife, Lady Fiona.

-Well, it's just an extraordinary but rather large historic building which obviously has a role as a visitor place and a business.

But we do return it to family life on a number of weekends each year.

The challenge with the castle is getting it to pay for itself in terms of its day-to-day repairs and things like paying for the electricity and the oil for the heating.

So I always thought I've got to somehow make it work and survive long enough for the next generation.

-With running costs of �10,000 a day, in recent years, visitors have been an important source of income.

But due to the pandemic, Highclere has been hibernating.

-Britain has so many wonderful stately homes, and we're all slightly different, and we're all trying to find what might draw visitors or guests to come and visit us, because that's going to sustain our business.

-Now with Easter just a week away, the castle is finally able to welcome visitors again and is gearing up to host its first major spring event in three years.

But real life is very different to Downton.

There's no Mrs. Hughes and her team of maids and footmen.

Responsible for cleaning this 200-room stately home for the opening are just two staff.

-Every morning we dust right the way through.

-What was it that your mum said?

-Oh, people only notice what you don't do, not what you do.

And I said that to you, and it stuck, hasn't it?

-It is true, it is true, yeah.

-And it's true.

Nobody ever says, "Oh, that brass fire guard looks beautiful today."

-Well... -They might say it looks awful, but they never say it looks good.

[ Both laugh ] The worst part is when we've had lots of rain and people come in with wet, muddy boots.

I think we should issue slippers, not masks at the front door.

-It's a routine.

It's like automatic robots that come in the morning.

One goes one way, one goes the other, but we certainly know what we're doing.

-[ Laughs ] Allegedly.

-Well, allegedly.

Yeah.

[ Both laugh ] We have a lot of open tours and public tours here.

And people do like to dress up from their "Downton Abbey" era costumes, which is always fun to see, but it's all inspiring.

They come in here and they feel like they're in the presence of Lord and Lady Grantham.

-Downton Abbey's upstairs, downstairs -- I don't think, modern days, it's so much like that.

We all help each other.

I've seen Lord Carnarvon picking up litter, Lady Carnarvon clearing tables, hoovering when we're late in the evening, finishing.

Everybody helps everybody in every department.

That's the castle now ready for everyone to come and visit us and enjoy a day.

-Since "Downton Abbey" first broadcast in 2010, the castle's popularity as a visitor attraction has soared.

-Between the cordons here... -But today it's not Carson that knows every nook and cranny of the castle.

It's a team of 50 part-time guides.

For �27.50, tourists can access the grounds, Egyptian museum, and select rooms of the house, and this Easter, they are hoping to be full.

-We got these wonderful wall hangings, and these are 16th-century, and they came from a palace in Northern Italy.

They're not tapestries.

They're silks.

-For her first tour of the day, guide Diana is hosting a group of Americans.

-You'll find lots of family photographs around.

Very much a family feel to the house.

It's a very homely feel.

I enjoy the job.

I live not very far outside the back entrance because, knowing my place, I come at the back entrance.

If you're "Downton Abbey" fans, you'll recognize this very well, the pink and the green.

They did use most of our furniture.

85%, 90%, it's the "Downton" that's brought them here.

It's interesting how it's changed from the first year "Downton" started.

A lot of people thought we were Downton Abbey and used to ask questions about the series, and it took us a little while to kind of latch on.

So the guides all had to make sure they'd watched "Downton Abbey."

Most of them had anyway, because, you know, to see where you work on the television is rather exciting.

I was very lucky because I've been here a long time, so I have seen every series and film, as well, and even been an extra.

[ Tourists ooh ] [ Laughter ] You've got plenty of time to take a little walk 'round the gardens because they are rather lovely.

Oh, and the gift shop.

Spend a little bit more money.

That's what we like.

-The ornateness, the detail, the different works of art.

It's pretty spectacular.

-Oh, I thought it was wonderful.

I watched every episode of "Downton Abbey" with my husband.

-I think as Americans we're just fascinated with castles because we don't have royalty and peerages and all of that, and I think we're just always interested in that.

-Whilst the Easter opening is the first opportunity for Highclere to recoup its visitor losses, it's much more than a tourist attraction.

The 5,000-acre estate includes a farm and a business selling horse feed to the racing and polo worlds... almost 50 cottages used by employees or rented out... a gin business... and thoroughbred racehorse stables, which the current Earl hopes one day will pay dividends by producing a winner.

-My great-grandfather began the stud here with a lot of interest in breeding thoroughbreds and racing, and it's always kind of risky business and a long shot.

But everyone hopes for a champion.

People love a day out at the races.

They are beautiful creatures.

It's extraordinary to see them grow up from the small foal to the fully grown racehorse.

-Entrusted with nurturing the next generation of the Carnarvons' thoroughbreds are Maggie and Sam.

They're in charge of four mares and two foals that were both born here just two months ago.

-This is Sunshine.

She's just getting used to us.

But she's getting there, aren't you?

-Storm was born on the 17th of February.

They're very close together this year.

A little bit of a stupid fun fact.

They all have their own neigh, you know, like we have our own accents and stuff like that.

The horses have their own choice of singing in the morning.

The really high-pitched one is Ginger.

-The upkeep of these foals will cost around �25,000 each in their first few years of life.

Most mornings, Lord Carnarvon drives to the other side of the estate to check on them.

-Well, this is the time of day when we get the mares and foals out from being in the stable.

-There we go.

-And you see two of the mums are looking at us very expectantly.

The mare's called Divine Touch, but we call her Didi for short.

And Valentina was born on Valentine's Day, so we call her Valentina.

It won't be her final racing name, but that's her stable name for the moment.

And Didi I bought because her aunt won one of the top fillies races, the Oaks.

So we're hoping we're getting a touch of magic from that really.

She's certainly quite a character.

-Mm.

[ Laughs ] -She's very sweet, Storm.

-Oh, she loves attention, loves scratches.

Built like a little tank.

[ Laughs ] -The ground 'round here is ideal for the thoroughbred.

There's lots of chalk and calcium, so it's great for their bones.

All the right minerals in the grass.

This area has been a center for thoroughbreds for quite some years.

Off you go.

He'll look very happy.

-Lord Carnarvon is following in his late father's footsteps.

The 7th Earl was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II and her racehorse manager for over 30 years.

-My father really was an accomplished owner breeder on a considerably larger scale than what I'm doing, and he was a friend of Her Majesty, who, of course, is one of the biggest enthusiasts for the thoroughbred breeding and racing.

It's been an amazing privilege to know Her Majesty.

I'm one of her godsons.

I've been a Page of Honour when I was 12, 13, 14.

One of the great days was they were doing that at the opening of Parliament, the first time it was on color TV.

[ Laughs ] And, in fact, the first foal we took out goes back to Her Majesty's horses that were linked to Highclere.

So there is a link in that foal back to when I was younger and my father was helping the Queen with her horses in quite a way, so it's nice to sort of maintain these links with the horses, really.

-The foals will spend around 20 months here before being sent to a race trainer where Sam, Maggie, and the Earl hope they'll be turned into champions.

-Well, for us, we have no children, so these are our children.

And when they leave us, it is a very sad day.

It's like sending them to nursery.

Um, but we do feel a bit sad.

But then it's just nice to see them in the process of being born to going into training.

So it's, um -- Yeah, we do get very attached to them.

-[ Laughs ] -We've made Maggie cry.

She's very emotional about her babies.

-[ Laughs ] You just want them to do well, really.

It's really sad.

Sorry.

That's just an emotional thing.

Because I'm there, obviously, when they're born.

And it's just making sure they try and get there as best they can and keep as strong as they can, really, and get 'round, really.

And when you hand them over to somebody else for them to be looked after, you hope that they're going to be in the same frame of mind, because here it's always trying to keep them calm and happy and enjoying things, you know?

-So this one's very confident, but she's quite some way from her mum now and not at all worried about it.

She's much more interested in talking to me than being with her mum.

Good girl.

You like lots of attention, don't you?

For the future, I hope we can have a decent winner from a small number of mares.

Because it makes a big difference to everything and the ability to keep on doing it.

And I hope that future generations -- my sons will keep the idea going in the future, really.

-The more pressing concern now, however, is, can everyone at Highclere host their first major event in two years without a hitch?

Highclere is world-renowned for being the location where "Downton Abbey" is filmed, but it is also a working rural estate.

-Everyone knows and loves the castle, which is the jewel in the crown and the building at the center of the estate, but there is wider responsibilities to its amazing landscape and architecture that are part of the estate.

-At Highclere, they farm arable crops and commercial livestock.

But unlike its fictional counterpart, there's only a handful of workers on the farm.

In springtime, they're particularly busy with lambing.

-Right.

-Come on, Mary.

-Push her into that corner.

-She'll be a lively one.

-Exactly.

-I'll just be backup.

-Most sheep give birth unaided in the fields, but ewes having triplets are brought into the sheds.

Head shepherd Matt and his partner, Harriet, are overseeing the lambing.

-So today we have a ewe that's about to give birth.

She's carrying three.

Springtime is really important for us.

It is busy, and everyone gets a bit tired and a bit grouchy.

But it's lambing time.

You will get used to the early mornings and the late evenings, and it's just a bit of teamwork to kind of get through that month.

-Well done.

-[ Laughs ] -Currently she's got one leg forward.

You want them to come at two legs and their head.

Now I've just got the two feet forward.

Um, and then just slowly bring it out, and she kind of does the rest, really.

-Usually we have between 2,000 and 2,500 lambs born roughly each year, depending on how many ewes we get put to the ram, really.

-Lady Fiona, the Countess of Carnarvon, is involved in all aspects of Highclere.

-[ Lamb bleats ] -[ Fiona mimics bleat ] [ Fiona laughs ] Hello, mummy.

How are you doing, Matt?

You're nearly at the end, aren't you?

-Getting there, yeah.

-She promotes the business through her six published books and social media.

-So, Instagram is pretty important for us, as many other hospitality leisure businesses.

It's part of our marketing campaign now.

Okay.

You've got the recording thing.

-Yeah.

The mic.

-Great.

Yeah.

-Helping Lady Carnarvon get her message online is one of the newest Highclere recruits, Caitlin, and Lord and Lady Carnarvon's son, Edward.

-Does she have two or three?

-So she's got three in her.

-She's got three in her.

Yeah.

I have pulled the odd lamb out, but you're much better at it, Harriet.

[ Laughter ] You're going to probably have to come a bit closer when you've sorted yourself out.

-Are you ready?

'Cause I can't put it back in.

-[ Laughter ] -Okay.

We're ready.

-So number-two lamb coming out.

Ooh, I can feel her pain, actually!

We may have to edit it.

Otherwise we'll be banned from Instagram.

Oh, look.

Oh, fantastic.

-You're a really good mum.

-Isn't she?

-Yeah.

-When things like this happen, it's really nice to capture a ewe giving birth, some lambs being born.

It's Easter time.

It's what's happened here for centuries, for millennia.

And I think it's a wonderful way to share part of the countryside with people who aren't always able to see what happens in the countryside.

Oh, there we go.

Good girl.

This is a girl or a boy?

-[ Lamb bleats ] -It's a boy.

Well done.

Eddie, come and see the orphans!

-Hello, Bubbles.

-Sweet.

[ Laughter ] -Okay, you ready?

-Yeah.

So, this is Bubbles.

So, she's very friendly.

-Ewes who give birth to triplets can struggle to feed more than two lambs, leaving some to be reared in the orphan pen.

-So, there's about 30 to 40 orphans in here.

And this is their milk bar, which works incredibly well.

And because they're orphans, they're more used to people.

They're quite fun to handle, aren't they?

Hello.

They all look pretty well, actually.

They really do.

-Yeah, I'm really impressed with them this year.

-Thank you.

Don't you think they're sweet?

Well, we could.

I quite like 8C.

Came and said hello to me.

Thank you very much, Harriet.

[ Lamb bleats ] -With Easter just a few days away and a steady stream of visitors through the gates, preparations for the big weekend are gearing up.

Paul, who has been here for eight years, works at visitor reception but also doubles up as the Carnarvons' chauffeur.

-It's a 1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III.

It was delivered to the 6th Earl of Carnarvon in 1936.

I've got a special bond with it.

It's sort of like a little friend, if you like.

You can't beat workmanship like this.

When I was trained at Rolls-Royce -- That was in Crewe.

It's now Goodwood.

You were taught how to clean the car, how to treat your passengers, and it never leaves you.

You mustn't speak to the people unless you're spoken to.

You must keep your hands on the wheel at all times.

Chauffeurs should be seen and not heard.

This is where the Spirit of Ecstasy would be.

Large lady, flying lady, as it's commonly known.

But in this instance, Lord Carnarvon's had his racing horse put on here.

Well, I think I've reached the top, really, to be honest with you.

-With the car looking at its best, there's also a very important task Paul regularly performs.

-We're taking Lord Carnarvon's Rolls-Royce out for -- I like to say -- stretch its legs.

Being a chauffeur, this is a dream.

-Ah, good morning.

-Good morning.

Do you want to drive?

-I could have a drive, yeah.

Sounds like she's running smoothly.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

Jump in, and I'll go 'round the other side.

-This glorious car used to belong to my grandfather, which he bought it in 1936 or 1937, around that time.

It's amazing, really, because this was being developed with the use of aluminium -- because it was the same time as the Spitfire engine was being improved upon, as well.

So it was the forefront of mechanical engineering of the time, really.

-Yeah.

Go now.

-I think it's nought to 60 in about 16 1/2 seconds.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughs ] -You'll never get 'round that roundabout in one.

-I don't know if I will actually.

-Oh, well, try.

Try.

I underestimated him a lot.

-You did as well.

Very well.

I might pass my chauffeur's test after all!

-Yeah, yeah, you might do.

-That's a hill start.

Right.

All the way up.

It's all clear.

Right the way up.

We're moving three and a quarter tons uphill going up here now.

-But every time you come to a blind corner or a humpback bridge, you use the horn.

It's not telling people off.

It's just to announce that we are here, we're moving along.

-Makes me feel a little bit like Mr. Toad.

[ Horn honks ] -So if you're Mr. Toad, I must be, um... -You're not the washerwoman.

-[ Laughter ] -But this is just glorious.

Before coming to work for yourself, I did apply for driving the Queen.

I was shortlisted.

I didn't get the job, but, hey, I -- -But it must have been quite fun all the same.

-Oh, it was fantastic because my address was going to be Buckingham Palace Mews, which would have been amazing, but I didn't get the job, which is not too bad.

-[ Laughs ] I'm not sure we're quite the same, but it's been fun having you at Highclere.

-Oh, well, I love it.

I love it here.

I take immense pride working with Highclere Castle.

I think there's a family feeling here.

You're not blood-related to Lord and Lady Carnarvon, but you've got that family connection that you feel comfortable with.

Lord Carnarvon's doing very well as a chauffeur.

There's one or two points which I would probably pick him up.

The steering wheel.

Crossing hands.

Good use of the horn through the country lanes.

Gear change is a bit crunchy.

But then -- -You've got to cut the revs when you go from one to two sometimes, but it's a bit hard on a steep hill doing that.

That's the only problem.

-She's looking good.

We got three gallons of fuel.

-That doesn't sound very much!

-[ Laughs ] -We've now got fuel light on.

-I'm not sure you would pass your chauffeur's exam if we run out of fuel now.

-You're the chauffeur, so... -[ Both laugh ] -Well, alright!

I didn't consider that.

-She's loving it.

Absolutely gorgeous.

It's lovely to be out.

You've passed the course, my Lord.

-Just about.

It's been a great experience.

It's just such a glorious machine, wonderful car.

Looking back at the history of the 1930s, it somehow sort of fits with the whole idea of coming back into the estate and coming back to the castle.

-Great.

-It's fantastic.

Lovely ride here.

-Thanks.

-Fantastic.

Great.

Nice drive, wasn't it?

-It was.

It was brilliant.

-It went very well.

And now I think we need to put some fuel in it.

I think that would be quite a good idea.

-Yes, I will go and get the fuel card.

I think we must be down to a thimbleful.

-Well, it was warning us a little bit there.

Even of its time.

[ Laughs ] The early warning on fuel is not a new idea.

[ Both laugh ] -With Easter weekend just two days away, Lady Carnarvon and her team of event staff are finalizing plans that include a charity egg hunt and a petting zoo.

-So, we have taken plenty of pre-sale tickets.

The Easter eggs are at the moment in the stable.

-They are, yes.

-And where are we going to put them?

-So, Murray Parish Trust is gonna set up a gazebo out on the lawn over there.

-It's going to be quite warm.

They could melt.

-Well, bringing them out I think in batches and looking after them.

-[ Laughter ] -Okay.

The main key thing at Highclere is it's about teamwork and trying to sing on one hymn sheet.

Have we got anybody to look after the lambs?

Where are we putting them?

Do you know?

-The pens are already set up.

-Oh, they're fine.

-And then Simon's also bringing some piglets.

-Bloody hell.

-[ Laughter ] -It's all farmyard.

-We know we're going to have 2,000, 2,500 people here, so it is intense.

We want to make sure they all have a very happy day.

I thank you all very, very much for this weekend.

It's a lot to do.

-It's the eve of Highclere's big Easter weekend.

-One of the things we've done here, as well as planting trees and shrubs, is to plant thousands of bulbs for this time of year.

Well, we're really looking forward to our Easter weekend coming up.

And Easter's has always been a very popular time for visiting Highclere.

And I think we're going to be lucky this Easter weekend because we've got some nice weather like today.

So fingers crossed people will have a wonderful time.

-Over 2,000 guests are due to descend on the estate.

-And it's Caitlin.

I've got Lady Carnarvon's phone.

-The castle has not had this many visitors in spring for three years, and the whole team is involved with getting it ready.

-Fridge, fridge.

Always fridge, fridge, mate.

Oh, tea.

Never too busy for tea.

True story of chefs.

-In the kitchens, head chef Paul is getting ready to supply the two tea rooms and castle caf with food for visitors.

-I've been here 14 years.

The interview was a bit intense, you know, walking up to this wonderful ground down that main drive, having brought some food with me and got on very well with Lord and Lady Carnarvon.

Served them dinner.

And it went really well.

There's always been that respect barrier there.

I don't use their first names ever.

They are Lord and Lady Carnarvon to me.

They're also my employer.

They're also my chairman.

They're also my CEO.

So you get that personal relationship.

[ Grunts ] Weightlifting first thing in the morning.

This is our sixth batch of scones that we're doing today.

120 small ones for the posh afternoon tea in the boxes to 250 for just the day.

I think one of the difficult parts of my job here is you need to have two hats.

When the family come into residence and they want to entertain their friends and their family or we're doing a corporate dinner or a nice wedding, you know, we need to be able to do a really high standard.

That is your lobsters and your fillets of beef, et cetera, et cetera.

But the other side of that is... want to come here.

They want to see the house.

They're not interested in having a fillet steak sandwich.

Raj, baguettes in, yeah?

-Yeah... -We will start by baking the baguettes in bento boxes, sandwiches, the wraps, cakes, salads, bake some croissants.

They want to grab something to eat.

They want to go through the house and admire the property.

And that's been quite hard, because we've got some really talented cooks downstairs that, you know, continuously make me look good, which I appreciate.

Um, and I'm asking them to make a cheese sandwich.

-In the castle grounds, preparations are under way for an Easter egg hunt where participants will donate up to �10 each to children's charity The Murray Parish Trust.

-The Easter public opening is the start of a new season.

Hopes are high.

It's like sitting exams.

You always want one more day to revise in the case of exams.

Easter opening, you always want one more day to get ready.

We're not quite ready.

And given your choice, you'd always have one more day, one more day, one more day, you'd never open.

-John has been managing Highclere for 16 years.

-I think we can overthink it.

We're not going to get every sign here, and we're just going to have to marshal it.

Thank you.

-Alongside Lady Carnarvon, he is responsible for overseeing 25 full-time staff as well as part-time employees.

-James, have you got the thing, please?

Why don't -- I'll hold the pole.

You look slightly more health- and safety-conscious with that hammer.

Why don't you turn it 'round?

Turn it 'round, turn it 'round.

That's better.

Which side do you want this read from?

-Coming up from here, yeah.

-Down there?

-Yeah.

[ Drill whirs ] -We're doing a lot of signs at the moment to direct people towards the falconry and all the different displays we've got going on.

-One where?

-Here.

-Let's put this in here, James.

[ Drill whirs ] -I'm a bit apprehensive.

Luckily, the weather's nice, so that was my first worry when organizing it.

[ Drill whirs ] -We can tweak them later.

And, Kate, can you pick that up, please?

Otherwise it'll end up in today's rubbish.

Well, we're open to the public at the moment, which is hugely encouraging and uplifting for us as castle staff because this is the first time we've been open -- That'll do.

That'll do.

This is the first time we've been open for two years at Easter.

Obviously it was March 2020 when we were closed down, not so much as a business but as a country.

And then last year, we actually did an Easter egg hunt trail in the gardens and grounds because that was all we could open up.

So, tomorrow, hopefully we'll give families a fun day out.

Where now?

James, the age of chivalry is not yet dead, so you can push Kate's wheelbarrow.

-How many are there?

-Even head gardener Paul, more used to curating the 48 acres of landscaped gardens, has been commandeered into setting up the trail with Alice from the events team.

-Hopefully they're straightforward enough to -- um, to get to the end.

-Everyone's a winner... unless I hide the eggs.

[ Both laugh ] Spring's mad.

Now everything's growing.

The weeds are growing.

The grass is growing.

Everything needs planting out.

Everything needs changing over.

It's three months of utter madness.

-I think that is excellent.

-So are you the mind of a 5-year-old who now has a tantrum because they can't find the last pig.

Without the last pig, doesn't get an egg.

-Oh.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

I think we're good.

-Okay.

-Am I concerned about tomorrow?

You will never foresee every eventuality with the public, but I hope we've done our planning and preparation.

-After weeks of anticipation, it's Easter weekend.

-State your business.

-The public are flocking in.

-Have a fantastic day.

-Shall do.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

-At visitor reception, Paul is manning the ticket office.

-Lovely.

Thank you very much.

-Have a lovely day.

It says 925.

Not everybody comes, but that is the number that I'm expecting through here.

Thank you.

Do you have afternoon tea booked at all?

-Lady Carnarvon is also on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly.

-If you can make sure that the stormtroopers and the policemen... -On stilts.

-On stilts.

Water, coffee, and something.

That'd be really kind.

What are you dressed for?

-Well, do you know, I actually wanted some pockets.

[ Indistinct chatter ] -You're actually really, really, like, hardly any clothes on.

-And I've got loads.

-[ Laughter ] -Couple of maps.

There we go.

Have a fantastic day.

-Thank you.

-Are you doing the Easter egg hunt, too?

-I was going to say.

Can I be a child for the day?

Because it sounds pretty good.

-And there's a slide.

I'm definitely going to go on the slide.

-I want the bouncy house.

-Yes, that's what I'm gonna go on, you see.

-I have to do the bouncy house.

-Okay.

-Do you have a barcode or ticket or anything like that?

-No, because it's from the resort.

-Okay.

-It's a private tour.

-No, it's fine.

-Just the two of us.

-Well, it's not actually.

-It's not?

-Is that what they sold you?

-Well... -We don't do any private tours today.

-That's what they told us.

-Okay.

They're talking through their... -[ Laughter ] -It's an open day.

We've got 2,500 people here today in aid of a charity.

-Have you paid for a ticket from them?

-Well, it was a charity auction event that was actually in the States that I purchased and paid a lot of money.

Part of it included the private tour of Highclere.

-I don't know how -- What have you got?

-I haven't got anything here.

-We've got nothing from them here at all.

-Really?

-Despite all the planning, it seems Lady Carnarvon now has an unexpected problem on her hands.

It's Easter weekend.

Highclere is hosting their first major springtime event in three years.

-Ah!

Yeah.

They should have checked into it.

-At the gate, Lady Carnarvon and Paul are dealing with two guests who have bought a private tour in a charity auction, but there's no record of it here.

-Well, I'm Lady Carnarvon.

I know nothing about it.

But delighted to meet you.

-It's a pleasure.

How are you?

I'm Gregory.

-Gregory.

Hi, there.

-It's a pleasure.

-You have two tickets to come 'round the castle, without which you won't get in the castle.

-Lady Carnarvon decides to stand in as the gentlemen's private tour guide.

-We even had the young dowager herself greet us.

-[ Laughter ] -Thank you.

"Dowager."

-I said young.

I said young.

-My husband's still alive.

-Oh, is that what that means?

I'm only a dowager if he's dead.

-I didn't know that.

-No.

It's alright.

-You taught me something already.

-Oh, good.

Now I'm going to queue-jump.

We're just going to potter on through.

This is such a beautiful room.

The house has been here since 749 A.D. -Wow.

-I love sharing that with Americans.

The bishops of Winchester held it for 800 years.

Then my husband's family has been here since 1679.

So this is Highclere Castle and Downton Abbey.

6,500 books.

I've read them all.

I haven't.

That's a lie.

Did you spot?

"Downton Abbey," when they were making the series, were here from February till July on and off with charitable events, private tours, and public opening in between.

So the library they used a lot and the drawing room and quite a lot of the rooms.

This is one of the most important pieces of furniture.

It's Napoleon's desk.

And it's a lovely room.

So sometimes we might have supper in here.

And I like picking flowers.

So, all the flowers come from our greenhouses, or I tend to pick them.

This room is really a homage to Almina, the fifth countess, who turned the castle into a proper hospital in World War I. Julian Fellowes made it a convalescent home in "Downton Abbey."

It was an operating theater and regarded as one of the best in the country.

She saved the lives of hundreds of husbands, fathers, sons, brothers.

And they would stay for two or three months.

One of the bedrooms was an operating theater, so one of the first books I read on Almina is about her contribution.

They used a lot of the bedrooms to start with in "Downton Abbey," and then they re-created a corner bedroom in the studio, just because they wanted to put cameras down from the top of the bed.

And I said, "You can't.

Sorry."

-That's an incredible piece.

-Absolutely.

-It is.

So, I think that was bought by the 5th Earl and came back from his travels with him.

-[ Speaking indistinctly ] -This is Queen Caroline's room.

She came to stay here in about 1730, and that's her portrait.

-I love the bedspread, too.

-Thank you.

-It reminds me of my great-grandmother's bedspread that they would have on the beds when I was very young.

We got here expecting to have a private tour, and when we got to the ticket booth, they basically told us, "Well, I'm sorry.

We don't have you down."

So we just happened to be overheard, I think, by the Lady herself, who then joined us with a little rapport back and forth.

And got it to the point to where she felt like, "Well, these guys could be fun."

-Come on.

You have to come, too!

-I'm glad you're here.

Because he would be, like, giving me an excuse.

-Absolutely.

-Oh, amazing.

-Oh, my!

Absolutely generous of her time.

And, actually, more of a 1-to-1 tour than actually -- than we were expecting.

-3, 2, 1!

[ Screaming and laughter ] -This will be a memory that will be something that I'll never forget.

-Definitely a story to be told.

Yeah.

-[ Speaking indistinctly ] -Oh, my gosh.

-Okay.

Right.

-Wow!

-It's afternoon.

Chef Paul's sandwiches and scones are going down a storm.

And this is a day in particular where head butler Luis, used to serving dignitaries and royalty, has also to adapt.

-The biggest quality to work Highclere Castle is be prepared to do all different jobs.

I sometimes help the car park or help whatever it needs to.

The biggest challenge at the moment, we're struggling to get stuff, but also chefs struggle to get food in.

There's a lot of things that are not arriving on time, so just trying to make as best we can without anyone noticing.

So we got mango, passion, and strawberry.

Drink it slowly because it gives a brain freeze.

So this one is called Josephine.

We painted with the colors of the flag, the blue and the red, and it works as an ice cream.

We do smoothies, takeaway coffees.

-Strawberry top, yeah.

-Strawberry top?

-Iced tea?

-If you have -- No.

If you have a cold drink, it makes you go cold and your body warms you up.

-I only drink gin and tonic, so I don't know about tea.

-Oh, yeah.

-[ Speaking indistinctly ] I've been here for 13 years.

I came as a...manager to do the weddings and dinners.

And then along came "Downton."

And now our tea room's area kind of grown.

Then we introduced the van.

And now we've got a cocktail bar.

So my job looks like it's got bigger and bigger, but I enjoy every single moment.

Lovely weather for ice creams.

-Yes.

-Good weather here.

Always like this in here.

Never rains.

Today is an extra busy day for me, and we got a lot of kids here.

About 2,000 people.

I think you'll find the kids here by the van and the parents by the cocktail bar.

-Highclere's Easter Bunny is doing the rounds, and the Easter egg trail is proving popular.

-How many porky pigs fluttering over the rose arbor?

Okay, should we go?

-Yeah.

-Oh, there's the number nine.

One there.

And there.

Can you read the next one out?

-Okay.

"He's late for a very important date, but what time does the White Rabbit's clock show?"

-Ooh.

Oh, it's lovely.

Such beautiful grounds.

I think we're just really lucky with the weather, as well, which makes a huge difference, doesn't it?

-Do you know what time?

-12:25.

-So do I write "12"?

-You put "12."

Yeah.

-What's up, guys?

Right.

What number's next?

-11.

-11.

We love being here.

We've come to Highclere Castle many times over the last years as the children have been growing up, and we wanted somewhere that was a nice long walk to tire the children out.

[ Laughs ] -There's animals!

-Is there animals?

What can you see?

Oh, look.

There's lambs!

Aww!

-They're trying to break out.

-Aren't they sweet?

-We brought some of our orphans down for the members of the public to come and see.

[ Girl exclaims ] A lot of the younger guests are enjoying having the lambs on the scene.

Obviously they're quite nice things for people to see.

Normally don't get this close to them.

You just see them in the field normally.

-Shall we go and see the hairy goats?

You see their little beards?

They are eating the grass.

They eat the leaves, as well.

-Yeah.

-Vacuum cleaners.

-They are like vacuum cleaners.

Yeah.

Go on the neck there.

Pretty nice on the neck.

[ Laughter ] -We're having a break from the horses.

-Different four-legged creatures.

-Hey.

Hello.

-Hey.

-Hey.

-They're not quite so noisy or so...pushy.

-[ Laughter ] -Well, they can be.

-Yeah.

-[ Gasps ] See?

It's a bunny.

High five.

High five.

Say, "Happy Easter."

-Happy Easter.

-[ Woman laughs ] -Did you get all the clues?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

Who would like to swap a piece of card for an Easter egg?

-Yeah!

-Okay.

That's fair do.

One for you.

One for you.

-Oh, wow!

-What do you say?

-Thank you!

-One for you and one for you.

Well done.

Have a good, fun time.

Have a nice time.

Bye!

-Bye!

-Amazing.

-It's going great.

It's really fun.

-What have you liked most?

-Getting the chocolate.

-There was a policeman on stilts.

-Yeah.

-The "Star Wars" people and princesses.

-Yeah.

-And the Easter bunny.

-Yeah.

-The Easter bunny.

-Easter day at Highclere is drawing to a close.

-I think Easter day has gone pretty well.

Well, the sunshine has helped so much.

It's lovely to see all the children and everybody sitting down having a nice time.

So this is really nice to see people back.

-Aww!

-[ Laughter ] -Even housekeepers Sheena and Jason can now relax.

-Quality controlling the chocolate.

-It's a challenge.

It's a challenge.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughs ] -Bye!

[ Laughs ] -And after a busy day, the Easter Bunny gets to mothball the costume for another year.

-Transformation.

That is hot in there.

[ Laughs ] It's really hot.

Oh!

Absolutely love this guy.

I play many characters here, but I do like playing the Bunny.

It gives children a big smile in the face.

And adults, as well.

Living the dream.

Working at the world-famous Highclere Castle dressed as a rabbit.

-The event has been a success, but it's only the start of a crucial season that lies ahead.

It has been unbelievably challenging being in the heritage and hospitality business over the last two years.

Like many other places, you wonder if you'll survive.

-You've got to think of how you're fixing things now and then you want to try and lay a foundation that makes the whole place profitable enough to exist on into the future and maintain employment for everyone here.

I think people enjoy living and working amongst this extraordinary environment of history and the modern world and being part of our wider family, and it's a great honor that they do, really.

-With the gates shut, there are no visitors left in the castle.

The estate has returned to its quiet and timeless serenity.

The only job left tonight is for head butler Luis to shut up shop.

-I'm about to lock the castle, so I'm going to check all the shutters, all the lights, and lock all the doors.

I love this staircase, and I've seen, of course, many brides back in the days coming down.

And, of course, Lord Grantham on "Downton Abbey" comes down with a dog, and, of course, many other people come down on these stairs.

This is definitely one of my favorite rooms in the castle.

I spend a long time in here setting this beautiful table.

So much history here.

And even a few years ago, we changed to central heating, and we actually found old toys of kids.

And that was such an amazing thing to find.

So there's so much history around here.

It's unbelievable.

I live attached to the castle.

I love living here.

Um, especially when the weather is nice.

Everybody say how lucky I am to be the butler at Highclere Castle.

Of course, honestly, it's more luck than anything.

I am pretty sure there's better butlers out there than me, but... At the beginning, it felt like it was just a different job, a normal job, but, honestly, after three or four years, everything I think changed.

And I think, every day, you love the castle more, so it belongs to you.

And the question is, where do I go from here?

There's nothing better out there.

Apart from the Queen, Buckingham Palace, the Windsor Castle.

I'm just about to go outside now and see if every single shutter is shut.

So far, I think I've done a good job, but let's not talk too soon.

Very peaceful.

I mean, look at this.

You can hear the birds.

Beautiful view.

No, I think every single shutter is done.

Time to shut the front door and put the alarm on.

Job done.

-Next time, Lady Carnarvon takes brand Highclere on the road.

-Do you want it just "All best wishes" or...?

-There's a film premiere.

-Well, it's very exciting to be at the premiere of "Downton Abbey" movie two.

It's just great to be back after these three years and not doing this kind of thing.

-And the castle juggles a live TV broadcast for the film release with one of its busiest mass coach parties of the year.

-Another line's gone down somewhere else.

-That gives me a problem.