Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcast

I welcomed one of my hero authors, Michael Morpurgo, and his wife Clare, to Highclere Castle to talk about storytelling, history, the magic of reading, and the extraordinary charity they founded together — Farms for City Children.
Michael shared how War Horse came to life and why understanding the First World War matters more than ever today. We recalled the unforgettable day Joey, the National Theatre's War Horse puppet, came to Highclere in 2014 — walking through the very library where Almina, my predecessor, had nursed soldiers back from the trenches a century before.
Michael told the wonderful story behind Farms for City Children — how Clare, a childhood afternoon let loose near a Devon farm, courtesy of her father Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, sparked a lifetime's passion for the countryside, and how that passion became a charity that has given over 120,000 inner-city children a week of real farm life.
We explored the importance of books and reading, handwriting, the friendship with Ted Hughes, the honest editorial partnership between Michael and Clare, and my own plans for a Highclere Literary Festival this October.
We ended with Michael's dream summer evening guest: the radiant Audrey Hepburn.
00:00 Welcome & Introduction
02:10 War Horse & Joey Comes to Highclere
06:30 History, World War I & Why It Still Matters
13:15 The Origins of Farms for City Children
21:45 A Real Farm — Not a Pretend Farm
28:00 Highclere: Farm, History & the Fifth Earl
33:20 The Power of Reading & the Literary Festival
38:10 Writing by Hand, Ted Hughes & the iPad
44:00 Editing, Marriage & Telling the Truth
49:30 Dream Party Guest: Audrey Hepburn
Topics Covered
War Horse & Highclere
The origins of War Horse and why Michael believes we must understand history to navigate the present
Lady Carnarvon recalls the day Joey, the War Horse puppet from the National Theatre, came to Highclere in 2014 to mark the centenary of World War I
Highclere Castle served as a real military hospital during World War I — Lady Carnarvon's predecessor, Almina, nursed soldiers back from the trenches
The contrast with the fictional Downton Abbey and the very real human stories preserved in letters at Highclere
History, War & Responsibility
Michael reflects on why the First World War is so important — and how it directly caused the Second
The role of individuals and political movements in triggering conflict, from Sarajevo to the rise of Hitler
Why Michael feels it is "timely" to revisit these lessons today, given the state of the world
Seeing War Horse in the theatre the night before recording — and what it still means to him
Farms for City Children
Clare's childhood inspiration: sent outside to explore as a young girl near a Devon farm, she fell in love with the countryside, animals, and the rhythm of rural life
Her father, Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, instilled a love of the natural world
Why Clare and Michael left teaching after realising they weren't reaching the children who needed them most
How the charity started with one Victorian farmhouse in Devon and has since grown to multiple working farms
Over 120,000 children have now spent a week on a real farm — milking cows, feeding lambs, grooming horses, doing genuine work
Meeting former "farm children" now aged 45 with families of their own, who say the experience never left them
Highclere Today — A Living Estate
Farming records at Highclere dating back to the 16th century; earliest written records from 749 AD
Lady Carnarvon's rare breed Cornish pigs, Belted Galloway cattle, 1,400 ewes, and 2,500 lambs
The Iron Age Fort and Bronze Age Tumuli on the estate
William of Wykeham (1324–1404) — bishop and founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford — lived at Highclere; it was his palace
The fifth Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun, was a voracious reader; his will, written at 21, listed his books as among his most prized possessions
The Power of Reading & Writing
Why books matter: they let children ask questions, explore mortality, understand the world, and feel less alone
Michael's beach anecdote — watching his granddaughter's husband read to their one-year-old, with the baby turning the pages back — as a perfect image of how the love of books is passed on
The importance of parents reading aloud, good libraries, and physical books
Lady Carnarvon's Highclere Literary Festival — launching this October, with:A children's trail through the gardens (including a wardrobe inspired by Narnia and an entrance to fairyland)
The Curious Tent and Speaker's Corner
Writing and reading competitions with cash prizes
Free entry for under-16s who have read a book or written something

Lady Carnarvon's campaign for handwriting — the link between brain, hand, and pen
Ted Hughes, Writing by Hand & Technology
Michael's lifelong habit of writing by hand — and how arthritis in his finger has forced a reluctant move to an iPad
Neighbour and friend Ted Hughes on why handwriting matters: it keeps the mind and the process in sync
Michael's delight at discovering he can dictate to his iPad ("It prints it out magically")
Editing, Marriage & Honesty
Clare as Michael's first editor — "quite unfairly truthful" — and why he always takes her notes even when he doesn't want to
The ongoing verdict: nothing he's written in the 65 books since War Horse has matched it
Lady Carnarvon's husband editing her first book and his well-meaning but devastating comment: "Don't worry if nobody reads it — you've still tried very hard"
A Summer Evening Question
If you could take anyone to Lady Carnarvon's summer jazz evening, who would it be?Clare: Gregory Peck
Michael: Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday)

A discussion of Audrey Hepburn's extraordinary grace — and how grace itself is something both Michael and Lady Carnarvon seek in their work and lives
Mentioned in This Episode
War Horse — Michael Morpurgo (novel, stage production, Steven Spielberg film)
Waiting for Anya — Michael Morpurgo
The History Boys — Alan Bennett
Farms for City Children — farmsforcitvchildren.org
Highclere Literary Festival — October 2025, Highclere Castle
Allen Lane — founder of Penguin Books
Almina, Countess of Carnarvon — WWI hospital at Highclere
William of Wykeham — founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford
The fifth Earl of Carnarvon — discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb
Ted Hughes — poet, neighbour of the Morpurgos
Roman Holiday (1953) — dir. William Wyler, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
About Lady Carnarvon's Podcast
Lady Carnarvon records her podcast from Highclere Castle, home of the real family whose story inspired Downton Abbey. Episodes explore history, heritage, literature, and the people and ideas that have shaped Highclere and the wider world.
You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/

New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

Today, I welcomed author Alex Norman to the podcast to talk about his book on De Havilland’s Moth and the thrilling world of aviation in the 1920s and 30s, a period with such wonderful links to Highclere. 
Alex shared his own family’s connections to early flying, including his grandfather’s aircraft and involvement in the London Aeroplane Club and explained how Geoffrey de Havilland’s ingenuity helped by Frank Halford’s lightweight Cirrus engine made the DH60 Moth a breakthrough for private pilots.
 We explored how government-subsidised flying clubs, adventurous women and men and the freedom of the skies fuelled record-breaking journeys, from Lady Bailey and Amy Johnson to the Aga Khan Trophy winner Aspy Engineer. 
We ended with Alex’s dream dance partner: the remarkable aviator Beryl Markham.
00:56 The de Havilland Family Connection
04:33 Building the First Aeroplane
05:05 Post-War Aviation & The Birth of the Moth
11:35 The Private Flying Movement & Aeroplane Clubs
14:47 Women in Aviation & Record-Breaking Adventures
16:47 The Aga Khan Trophy & Aspi Engineer
21:03 The de Havilland Legacy & The Mosquito
21:59 Dream Party Guest: Beryl Markham
You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/

New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

I’m delighted to welcome author and explorer Levison Wood to Highclere, where we talk about my great love; trees and his book, The Great Tree Story: how forests have shaped our world.
 Levison shares how studying the Grand Tour at university inspired his lifelong passion for travel and storytelling, from hitchhiking across Europe and Central Asia to serving as an officer in the Parachute Regiment and deploying to Afghanistan. He recalls founding a production company and undertaking extraordinary long-distance walks, including nine months walking the White Nile from its farthest source to the Mediterranean, followed by the length of the Himalayas and other epic routes. 
We explore what drew him to write about trees, especially an experience with the Asháninka in the Amazon and we discuss ancient yews, cedars, redwoods, Highclere’s planting of 22,000 trees and his plans to adapt The Great Tree Story into a feature documentary.
01:05 Grand Tour Roots
03:26 Modern Travel Risks
04:56 Army Years and Afghanistan
05:49 From Soldier to Storyteller
07:31 Walking the Nile
09:06 More Epic Expeditions
10:33 Planning and Logistics
12:31 Highclere Explorer Heritage
14:30 Why Trees Matter
17:32 Ancient Trees and Estate Planting
19:42 Redwoods and Tree Lore
23:29 Trees in Culture and Craft
24:33 Green Man and Next Film
You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/

New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

I welcome Dutch historian Rutger Bregman to the podcast after first messaging him on Instagram and we talk about what I took from his book Humankind and my own wish to bring people together to remember friendship and kindness. 
Rutger reflects on Dutch directness and equality shaped by living with water, from the 1953 flood to the Delta Works, and shares why he writes for a general audience about big questions of human nature. 
We discuss his challenge to the “veneer theory” and his belief in “survival of the friendlies,” alongside a real shipwreck story near Tonga where six boys survived 15 months through cooperation. Our conversation turns to bullying, family and attachment, the Second World War and Rutger’s research for Moral Ambition on how resistance spreads simply by asking others to help.
01:10 Dutch Culture and Directness
04:01 Water Engineering and Delta Works
05:41 Early Civilizations and Conflict
06:58 Why Bregman Writes Big History
08:12 Debunking Human Nature Myths
10:07 Cooperation at Highclere Today
12:49 Tempest and Amoral People
13:55 Real Lord of the Flies Story
19:00 Bullying Attachment and Family
21:41 Victorian Fathers Revisited
22:40 Reform Politics And Women
23:28 Why Study War
24:04 Resistance Myth Debunked
25:24 Heroes Are Asked
27:29 Unconventional Organizers
30:25 Kindness After Loss
32:19 Kindness Is Contagious
35:03 Lessons From Animals
36:18 Veneer Theory And Dickens
37:59 British Indirectness
You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/

New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

I’m delighted to welcome historical novelist Caroline Montague to the castle, where we talk about how writing offers a refuge from everyday life and how she protects her creative time in her office with her dogs. Caroline shares the remarkable history of Burnt Norton, its links to T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets,” and the dramatic tale of Sir William Kite, whose scandal, bankruptcy, and death by fire helped give the house its name, alongside stories of the “white lady” said to haunt the top floor. 
We discuss her path from law and interior design to writing, her planning process shaped by a firm agent, shifting titles and covers, and her current rewrite of a book about a famous royal swap. We also chat about spaniels, horses and the comfort animals bring.
00:49 Writing Routine and Space
01:35 Career Path to Author
02:41 Burnt Norton and TS Eliot
04:42 William Kite House Tragedy
07:02 Ghost Stories White Lady
09:51 House History and Hauntings
11:25 Plotting Process and Ideas
13:16 Deadlines Output and Titles
15:18 Rewriting The Hook
16:08 Jigsaw Writing Method
17:17 Past Healing Present
18:17 Woods And Creativity
18:35 Spaniel Life And Social Media
19:59 Dressage Highs And Loss
21:09 New Horse Gio
22:33 Italy And Spanish Stallions
25:08 Books Animals And Imagination
You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/

New episodes are published on the first day of every month.