Viking is extending its partnership with Highclere Castle, the setting of the Emmy Award-winning series Downton Abbey.
The company has signed as headline sponsor of “Heroes of Highclere,” a weekend event taking place at the castle on September 8-9, 2019. Additionally, Viking has launched a series of online videos to complement the first coffee table book about Highclere, “At Home at Highclere,” written by the Countess of Carnarvon.
The historic, 5,000-acre Highclere estate in Hampshire, England is the Carnarvon’s ancestral country seat. Viking’s affiliation with Highclere began with its sponsorship of MASTERPIECE on PBS. Viking River Cruise ads ran during the acclaimed Downtown Abbey series.
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“Many of our guests were introduced to both Viking and Highclere Castle while watching Downton Abbey, so we are inextricably linked in a lot of minds,” said Karine Hagen, Senior Vice President of Viking. “But first and foremost, the relationship between Viking and Highclere is one of friendship and family. In our professional worlds, both Lady Carnarvon and I are much aligned in our determination to deliver enriching and meaningful experiences to our guests.”
“Our respective platforms, Highclere Castle and Viking, allow us to connect different cultures in ways that can ultimately help make the world a more understanding place, Hagen continued. “Heroes at Highclere, which Viking is proud to sponsor, is one such example, and just one of the many of the worthwhile causes the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon organize and to which they lend their names.”
The “Heroes for Highclere” weekend will raise funds for “those who serve and those who save.” It honors the centennial of the end of World War I and the creation of the Royal Air Force. Several thousand visitors are expected for aerial displays and the chance to see historic aircraft. Funds will support several veterans’ charities including Combat Stress and Doctors Without Borders.
“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Viking for Heroes at Highclere. This weekend is to raise money for those who serve and those who save, and we hope it will be a fascinating and meaningful event for all who attend,” said Lady Carnarvon. “This is also a particularly exciting time for us, as we prepare to welcome the cast and crew of Downton Abbey back to Highclere Castle for the filming of the highly anticipated movie, and I am delighted that Julian Fellowes who created and wrote Downton Abbey is joining us on Sunday as one of our speakers.”
Viking’s ongoing commitment to cultural enrichment includes partnerships with NBCUniversal International Studios’ “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition,” PBS’ MASTERPIECE, National Geographic’s Genius, TED, The Metropolitan Opera, Greenwich Music Time, Opera Holland Park, BBC, LIBERA, Ballet Sun Valley, RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Oslo’s Munch Museum, Oslo’s Viking Ship Museum and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre.
