Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 07:35
When you think of King Tut, do you see a young boy, struggling with the enormity of his power; a slender adolescent in control of the world's greatest empire?
George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was born at Highclere Castle near Newbury, England, on the 26 June 1866. He was the heir to the lucrative Carnarvon title and fortune - yet he used it to finance a life of daredevil sport, travel and exploration, which led eventually to his discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun alongside legendary archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
Educated at the prestigious Eton College and Cambridge University, Carnarvon took on his title in 1890. His ancestory, and indeed that of his great-grandson the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, can be traced back to King Edward III and Henry VIII. Yet his life of adventure had begun three years before, when in 1887 he developed a passion for sailing that took him across the Atlantic to Buenos Aires. This was no small undertaking at the time; and certainly not in the mould of the traditional British peer.
Descendent of Lord Carnarvon & Ancient Egypt Expert
10 November 1956
George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon (also known as Lord Carnarvon) is the great-grandson of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, the man who, alongside Howard Carter, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun. Today Lord Carnarvon carries on his great-grandfather's obsession with Ancient Egypt, regularly attending conferences and events across the world.
Lord Carnarvon helps run affairs at Highclere Castle, the lavish estate left to him on his father's death, with his wife Fiona, whom he married in 1999. Today the castle celebrates the life of his great-grandfather and the discovery of Tutankhamun with its own special Egyptian Exhibition. Real and replica relics tell the tale of the tomb, and original artefacts and photographs illustrate the life of the 5th Earl, who was an avid racing car driver and photographer, as well as pioneering explorer.
Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon is no ordinary peer. Born Fiona Aitken, she has already had a colourful career encompassing a number of positions and professions. She is married to George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon; thus making her the 8th Countess.
A former auditor at Coopers & Lybrand, Fiona is perfectly suited to running affairs at Highclere Castle, where she and her husband reside. Fiona has also runs her own fashion label, Azur, which operated in the States from 1995 to 2004. Fiona's guardianship of the estate extends to its grounds and gardens, events and the Egyptian Exhibition - around which she and her husband regularly take visitors.
Almina Wombwell was the wife of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, the man who bankrolled the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. Ostensibly the daughter of Marie Boyer and army captain Frederick Charles Wombwell, she was in fact the illegitimate daughter of immensely rich banking heir Alfred de Rothschild.
Thus her husband landed a huge £500,000 dowry (equivalent to £25million in today's money), which was used to finance the massive discovery. De Rothschild also made her the heiress to his huge fortune. Following her husband's tragic death in 1923, Almina continued to press forward with his dream, backing Howard Carter and his team until every last artefact had been removed from the tomb.
Howard Carter (9 May 1874 – 2 March 1939) was an English archaeologist and Egyptologist. He is noted as a primary discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922 (subsequently designated KV62) – by far the best preserved and most intact pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings. He is also famous for finding the remains of Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb in Deir el-Bahri in 1903. Both expeditions were funded by aristocratic British explorer George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.
Following his extensive finds, Howard Carter retired from archaeology and became a collector. He visited the United States in 1934, and gave a series of illustrated lectures in New York City which were attended by very large and enthusiastic audiences, sparking Egyptomania in the United States.
He died of lymphoma in Kensington, London, on 2 March 1939 aged 64. His death, so long after the opening of the tomb despite his being the leader of the expedition, is the most common piece of evidence put forward by skeptics to refute the idea of a “Curse of the Pharaohs”, which is said to have plagued the party that violated Tutankhamun's tomb.
