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In this episode I'm at Highclere Castle with my Labradors, who were all born at Highclere and Lady Carnarvon's Labradors, who were of course, also all born at Highclere.

Reminiscing about how our long friendship began, how we became related through dogs, and how the partnership between Viking and Highclere began ultimately allowing Viking guests privileged access to one of the most famous homes and castles in the world.

Oh, it's lovely to have a chat about how we first met.

It seems both like an eon ago and yesterday, and I remember it very clearly 'cause some of my dearest friends who I'd known all my life, Michael and Daphne Dormer were coming for Sunday lunch and they said they had a friend staying with them and could they bring her too?

So, of course I said yes.

I think we were having a roast for lunch, being very British.

Mm-hmm.

And you all arrived and it was chaotic 'cause I had dogs, children, too many people, not enough chairs, but I hope it was still a family.

And in you walked to that.

And that was the start of how we first got to know each other and worked together.

And you came to stay here.

And the start of how you so profoundly changed my life in so many ways.

And I was thinking about it this morning.

Michael is of course a distant relative of mine, Michael Dormer.

And he's also a distant relative of of Geordie's, which means that I'm really a distant relative of Eddie's.

Yes.

You'are!

So, I'm Eddie's fairy godmother, and also a real distant relative of him.

Well, my son Eddie just adores you.

But it was...

I do remember very clearly and we were often emailing each other 'cause we both work quite long hours and late at night.

Sometimes too long.

Sometimes too long.

But you know what, I think we both enjoy it and then wish we didn't work quite so long sometimes.

But I remember I said to you, come and look at some puppies.

Geordie said, she's too busy, she works too hard.

She's always in an airport.

And I said, I thought she needed a puppy to be less in an airport and more, more grounded.

Yeah.

And then you came to stay for Christmas.

Yep.

Which was magic.

And it was again, chaotic from my point of view, but I don't mind.

It's about just being together.

Happy chaos.

Happy chaos.

And you then decided to take Finse.

It was probably the craziest decision of my life 'cause (and the best), well there was no space for a dog in my life.

And I'd grown up with a rule against having dogs. 'cause my family traveled so much as well.

So of course Finse was still a puppy and you kindly asked me to be godmother of a river boat.

Mm-hmm.

The Skadi.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

And I went to Amsterdam where we christened her.

It was freezing, cold, which was wonderful.

It was freezing, freezing cold.

And Finse had come by by boat and by train so she was also there, which was magic.

And then after that we began to develop pre and post visits here, more Viking visits.

Here and Bowdown House.

Michael and Daphne's Dormer's home, which of course has such an important role to us Norwegians in the second World War as it was where our king and crown prince stayed.

Stayed.

Yeah.

It gives me goosebumps.

And then at that time as well, I think the king and crown prince were coming over here to play bridge and to, and to eat because there was always plenty of food around here 'cause of the estate.

So it was always good to share.

And they were actually living there, not just staying, not visiting and living there.

They lived until, I think the allies started...until 1942.

Yeah.

When they went to Ascot, somewhat nearer London and Mrs.

Dormer had to find a house within 48 hours for her family, plus the Norwegian royal family.

Which did they?

And their entourage.

And their entourage.

So there's a lot of people there.

So that is why I special occasions, we put up photographs and do a room devoted to Norway.

And they wrote the, the fact that the king of the crown prince were near here and their story.

And then of course the Christmas tree, there... at Trafalgar Square that the Norwegians give the Brits as a thanks for their help during the war.

Yeah.

So pre / posts here, in fact, I know of several of our guests have told me that they've booked a river trip because it gives them access to your home.

Most days in the summer, there's a Viking tour who come in before anybody else.

They have a lovely wander round and go for croissonts and coffee or scones, whatever they want.

And they also go down to see Egypt and then they go back and sail with you in Egypt.

It's wonderful.

Yeah.

Well many of them have watched Downton Abbey on PBS, which is a channel that I think serious thinking people generally tend to watch in the states.

And we sponsor much of the PBS programming.

And I think that's very squarely our demographic.

So I...

So, I think...

I love PBS and we've tried to support them with some fundraising here as well.

And we welcome quite a few PBS donors here.

So it's an important platform.

Yeah.

It's not often that one's thanked for one's advertising, you know, by the viewers, but they actually, they thank us for our at least sponsorship of PBS 'cause it is important, I think, the channel.

And that goes back again to when Downton Abbey began and we first met and, and unbeknownst to us at the time, we were sort of sailing in the same direction.

Yeah.

Yep.

Amazing.

Isn't it? 15 years later, we're still here 15 years later.

That's right.

With more dogs.

Ever more dogs.

I think your father sometimes is not quite sure.

But anyway, he does, do, you know.

He had a rule.

He's, he always had no pets, no gifts and no nappies.

He wouldn't change nappies and he wouldn't give gifts and he didn't allow us to have pets.

So I've broken a rule with you.

You definitely have happily.

But I also think, you know, your father does give gifts and that he gives us experiences and travel rather than physical consumables, which you are not quite sure where you bought.

And they don't last.

I mean, tangible things usually don't last so long, but experiences do.

And that's what my little godchildren were talking about yesterday.

Yes.

I don't give a lot of gifts either, but I give experiences.

And those last with you for life, like a travel experience.

Right.

It's the things we do to gather, which is such fun.

It's the laughs - they give us all the wrinkles that we so deserve.

And I'm gonna go on my first river cruise with you next April.

I'm so excited.

Up the Rhine.

Yeah.

The flagship.

Or down the Rhine, is it? 'cause I'm going from Basel to Amsterdam, so I guess I'm sailing... (The Rhine Getaway) ...that way, which is fun.

Yeah.

So I'm not merely Godmother to the Skadi, but also to the Viking Mars, which is a beautiful, beautiful ocean ship.

The Mars actually was launched during COVID, so instead of doing an opening, it was gifts to charities, which she were amazing about.

That's right.

That's right.

Yeah.

Very moving.

But I think she's sailed the oceans and ran the Mediterranean and I hope one day I can catch up with her.

It'd be lovely.

Yeah.

And Eddie and my husband are both godfathers, aren't they, of Nile ships on the Viking Egypt ships.

Yeah.

Which was particularly fitting since I, who we now know is distantly related to Eddie and his fairy godmother, have him as a real godfather of our ships in Egypt. on the Nile.

And he spoke in Arabic as well.

He did an amazing job.

So amazing.

So I felt really proud of him.

And it's a beautiful ship.

They are.

Yeah.

They're the best on the Nile by far.

That's, yeah, no question.

Absolutely.

But it's, it's the most extraordinary experience and the best way to see Egypt.

Yep.

It's magic actually.

We have to do it together.

I'd love to.

So the one place that you haven't been to with us and the one ship you haven't even seen are the expedition ships, which I know Eddie wants to visit as well.

Oh my goodness.

So does my husband, and top of my bucket list is Antarctica.

That would be amazing.

We should do it again.

I'd love to do that.

Have a proper holiday.

Proper break...from proper break all of our busy lives.

And no dogs obviously, but no dogs.

But they'll be fine and they'll be so happy to see us.

Is that a deal?

It's a deal.

Holiday.

A real holiday.

Holiday.

Yeah.

Back together, forwards together and let those arms swing and swing and swing and swing and swing and, and....