COUNTESS PUTS HER FOOT DOWN

Who says the Countess of Carnarvon does not have a racy side?

The chatelaine of highclere Castle, the setting for TV’s Downton Abbey, reveals she has just had to take a speed awareness course after rushing back home one evening along the A4.

‘The road was nearly entirely empty but I had clearly drifted just over the speed limit,’ she says. ‘Annoyed with myself, I waited and wondered whether I would receive a letter — which of course I did. I was a mixture of emotions: self- righteous thoughts about my speed being fine given the circumstances, annoyance at being caught and resignation that I had indeed been breaking the law.

‘I found the day unexpectedly fascinating and a timely reminder that we are each asked to compromise for the benefit of others.’

What would the Earl of Grantham say?