The 8th Earl of Carnarvon, George Herbert and his wife, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, Fiona Herbert, talk to Heritage Key about the death of their ancestor Lord Carnarvon and how it impacted on those closest to him. They talk about the strains of fame after discovering the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62) and how the dwindling finances from investing in the excavations led to him selling many of his homes. His already poor health was worsened after a mosquito bite was aggravated, and then fell victim of pneumonia at the untimely age of just 56.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 11:58
Last week we told the first part of the story of Lord Carnarvon, one of Britain's greatest explorers: his love of cars, planes, travel, and - most importantly - his obsessive passion for finding Tutankhamun's treasures. But what became of the cavalier adventurer, and why is there not a single one of his finds in Britain?
One of the most popular stories around the discovery of King Tutankhamun is that of the Curse of King Tut. The story was popularised after the death of the discovery's funder Lord Carnarvon, who was believed to have succumbed to a mosquito or cobra bite, just 6 weeks after the tomb was opened. Fuelled by a mistranslation of the Anubis statue which threatened death on all those who entered the tomb, a media frenzy took over, even though the vast majority of the team, including explorer Howard Carter, went on to live long lives.
Dr Zahi Hawass recounts these tales and tells us that he had never believed in such a curse upon the Tomb of King Tutankhamun. That is, until he faces his own mysterious set of circumstances after examining the boy king's mummy.
