Highclere Castle, where the British TV series "Downton Abbey" was filmed, has Christmas decor that honors a historic family achievement.
In a segment that aired on TODAY Dec. 23, NBC's Kelly Cobiella toured the castle based in the village of Highclere in the United Kingdom. During her trip, Lord Carnarvon and Lady Carnarvon of Highclere Castle revealed their meaningful Christmas tree theme for this year: Ancient Egypt.
"The theme is about ancient Egypt and Tutankhamun and the Gold and the treasures," Lady Carnarvon told Cobiella of the decorations that adorned the tree.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's burial ground and treasure. Lord Carnarvon's great-grandfather, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, made the discovery along with Howard Carter.
"I remember when he first started that there, all he found in his first season of moving thousands of tons of earth was a mummified cat," he recalled. "Many of us would have quit at that stage and far from that, he was so determined, it actually spurred him on."
Back at the tree, Lady Carnarvon showed Cobiella a Christmas ornament that had a burnt orange shine with a blue depiction of a sphinx.
She also revealed that it took at least 20 people to put up the 25-foot-tall Christmas tree, as seen in a TikTok video posted by the Highclere Castle account that went viral.
"It’s beautiful! Now this screams Christmas," Cobiella reacted when she first saw the tree.
Carnarvon agreed, saying, "I think it’s bigger even than Windsor Castle’s Christmas tree."
The massive tree is just one of 60 Christmas trees throughout the castle grounds, but this one in particular can be spotted in iconic Christmas scenes in "Downton Abbey."
Speaking of "Downton Abbey," the characters are often seen sipping lavish cocktails throughout the series, and that lifestyle appears to be no different at Highclere Castle. During Cobiella’s visit, Luis Coelho, the castle's head butler, made her the castle's signature gin and tonic.
The castle is open to the public most December afternoons for Christmas teas and cocktails.
