Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon

Henry George Reginald Molyneux Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, KCVO, 5th Cousin and racing manager to Queen Elizabeth II. His death at aged 77 on 11 September 2001 was overshadowed by the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States which brought down the towers of the World Trade Center.

The Earl of Carnarvon was the only son of the 6th Earl of Carnarvon by his first (American-born) wife Anne Wendell. Like his father, Carnarvon (then known as Lord Porchester) also fell in love with an American, Jean Margaret Wallop. The two were married on 7 January 1956. Her grandfather, Oliver Henry Wallop, 8th Earl of Portsmouth, settled in the western United States and married the daughter of a Kentucky judge. Her brother is the former Senator Malcolm Wallop.

The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon had two sons, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, and the Hon. Harry Herbert—and one daughter, Lady Carolyn Warren.

Carnarvon was an independent member of the Hampshire County Council (though he later took the Tory whip) and became its Chairman. He was also the Chairman of the South East Economic Planning Council. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1982.

Sources

• English Wikipedia: Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon
• The Telegraph: Obituaries, The 7th Earl of Carnarvon
• The Daily Mail: Downton's greatest secret: A lonely countess, an illicit love affair with an Egyptian prince... and an Earl who has no right to his title.