Downton Abbey's creator is calling out Prince William and causing a right royal to-do
The creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, is apparently beefing with Prince William.
But before we get into it, a little context: as you might know due to it lasting 84 million years, Downton Abbey follows the elite lives of Britain's upper-class Crawley family and their sprawling family estate.
The titular mansion is as much a character in the show as any of the cast, so it is of little surprise that Julian Fellowes cares a lot about historic homes – and now it seems he has a personal axe to grind with Prince William due to the Duchy of Cornwall's plan to build over 100 homes right next to the historic Dorset estate that once belonged to novelist Thomas Hardy.
Apparently he thinks they'll ruin the landscape and general vibes? (Side note: Julian Fellowes is president of the Thomas Hardy Society.)
"The people who approved this clearly do not appreciate the history of the county and the importance of Thomas Hardy to the area," Julian said, per Vanity Fair, without name-checking Prince William directly.
"I don't understand how the developers and the city council, grown men and women, can do that in good conscience. I know they have to do something about the housing shortage, but there are plenty of other places where they could build without interfering with these historic sites. It will be much harder for future generations to understand Hardy's life and work."
Now seems like a good time to mention that Julian is kinda royals-adjacent. According to Vanity Fair, he's married to Emma Joy Kitchener, who is a former lady-in-waiting to Princess Michael of Kent. He's also a baron in the House of Lords.
The issue of homelessness is one close to the Prince's heart, and is something he discussed in detail (along with his plans to personal lead in building new homes) in an ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, last November.
So... guess we'll see if that influences William's decision at all!
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
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