Brexit bad for business at Downton Abbey venue

Highclere Castle has no wedding bookings for this year

- WILLIAM MATA

The stately home where Downton Abbey was filmed has been forced to cancel wedding bookings because of Brexit.

Highclere Castle in Hampshire allows couples to recreate the antics of the stars of the BBC series by hosting up to 25 weddings a year including, in 2005, when singer Peter Andre and model Katie Price tied the knot.

However, it has no bookings for 2023 and just one for 2024, according to Lady Carnarvon, the real-life Downton Abbey countess. She said they only have enough staff to cater for parties of 20 or fewer.

“Brexit has undermined the wedding industry at Highclere, and it has really all been about the effects of leaving the EU,” she said.

“Tt is a matter of fact that Brexit has caused such a retraction of people available to work in the hospitality business that we realised we simply cannot guarantee that we can find enough staff to put on an event of the quality that we would want. We have tried everything but there is no point pursuing the quest any further.”

Lady Carnarvon said that before Brexit, European students studying in the UK could easily fill gaps throughout the summer peak wedding season but they are now being faced with a 30page form to apply to work in the UK.

“Tt is a huge own goal on our part and I really cannot judge the students concerned for being disinclined to deal with so much bureaucracy simply for a holiday job.”