The Baron of Porchester was for years the supposed lover of Queen Elizabeth II, although she and her circle strongly watered it.
They could be seen together in the royal box, at the Epsom or Newbury races. He was one of her closest confidants. Henry Herbert, Lord Porchester, would become the seventh Earl of Carnarvon, in 1987, but to Elizabeth II and her closest friends, he was always Porchie.
Lord Porchester was appointed manager of her racing stable by Elizabeth II, early in her reign. They were of the same generation. They had been through the war. They shared a great love of the countryside and wildlife, as well as horses.
For them, it was always a great obsession. Their personal friendship was lifelong, lasting until Porchie's death, aged 77, in 2001. Queen Elizabeth attended only a few funerals in the last 25 years of her reign, including those of King Baudouin of the Belgians. or Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. And she attended Porchie's, her close friend.
They had shared many things together, when Elizabeth was not yet queen and when she had not yet met her husband, Philip of Edinburgh. Porchie was one of those who accompanied her at the Victory Day celebrations 75 years ago, at the ball at the Ritz Hotel, where Margarita and Isabel danced the conga.
Were Elizabeth II and Lord Porchester lovers?
But was there something else going on between the young heiress and her head groom? The series "The Crown" suggests yes, in its third season, an insinuation that Dicke Arbiter, the Queen's former press secretary, described, at the time, as "very unpleasant and totally unfounded. The Queen is the last person in the world who would have ever looked at another man. It's gossip that's been around for decades, but it has absolutely no substance."
However, the series about the British royal family makes this relationship a point of interest. Already the first appearance of the character of Porchie, in the first season, causes tension between the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
According to the fiction, the Queen, a renowned horse lover, begins to spend more and more time at the races, in the company of Porchie, something that Prince Philip does not approve of. Isabel goes so far as to install a direct telephone line to the royal stables, a decision that causes a heated discussion in the marriage.
Isabel assures that Porchie "is like family" and "part of the furniture", to which Felipe ironically replies, "as long as you don't sit on him". The fictional Princess Margaret reveals that on one occasion when Porchie was drunk, she confessed to him that he still loved Isabel. Not surprisingly, the script for the third season sparked outrage in the Queen's inner circle.
Henry George Reginald Molyneux Herbert, Baron Porchester, born 1924, lived with his mother in London during his teenage years and attended Eton, where he was noted for his boxing skills, before joining the Royal Horse Guards during the war.
He served in North Africa and spent his 19th birthday in the Sinai desert. He was a passionate horseman and this linked him from childhood with Isabel II. In 1969, Porchie became the manager of the Queen's racing stable and it was said that he was one of the few people who could contact her, at any time, to discuss her animals.
He married Jean Margaret Wallop in 1956 and they had three children. The eldest, George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, the present Earl of Carnarvon, is the queen's godson. In 1987, Poochie inherited the title of Lord Carnarvon, on the death of his father.
George Herbert, his grandfather, discovered Tutankhamun's tomb with archaeologist Howard Carter. Porchie's reputation as a first-class horse breeder was among the most renowned in England. His stud stable was one of the most prestigious.
He was also recognized for his commitment to Hampshire County's local government and the preservation of his heritage. The family-owned Highclere Castle, a jewel of British manor architecture, where "Downton Abbey" is shot today. In 1975, he was distinguished as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), the Queen's highest honor.
