Somewhere in the English countryside last week, I was wearing a tiara worth an estimated $195,000 and gliding around a palatial manor. I’ve never been one to care about things like jewlery or clothes, but in that moment I remember thinking, “Yup, this feels right. I’m a royal now.” But then I had to take the tiara off and return to my humdrum, boring life. In what world is that fair? Where is the justice? Better yet, where is my crown?
Now that I’ve had a taste for the royal, finer things in life, I never want to go back. My tiara fitting was just one of the many opulent experiences I had while visiting Hampshire and Highclere, England, the historic locations of the Downton Abbey television series and movie, the latter which hits Blu-ray and DVD on December 17. As you know, the Crawleys aren’t royals themselves, but they did host the king and queen of England at Downton in the movie. And Highclere Castle, the setting of Downton Abbey, is itself quite aristocratic, so there really is no better place to first experience living like a lord or lady (except perhaps Buckingham Palace).
“How much does a banana cost, anyway? $10?” — me after putting on this crown.