Dear lovely friends!
There is something happening behind the scenes at the moment that I’m not quite allowed to tell you about yet, and it has had me looking backwards rather than forwards. So forgive me a small moment of reflection before I get to the news, because I think you’ll want to know how we arrived here!
In this newsletter, I’ll be sharing:
How we got here, and where we’re going next
The book is in my hands
Down to the last hundred scarves
Dropping William in Paris
Two marathons, which is possibly one too many
Dinners of Diplomacy
Let’s dive in!
How we got here, and where we’re going next
It began, improbably, with Ladies of London. That programme gave me a platform, and I used it to show the world Mapperton and the history sitting inside it. And yes, if asked to do it all over again - absolutely.
Because in 2017, just after season three had finished airing, someone at the BBC who had been watching LOL picked up the phone. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged, the public didn’t know yet, and I was not allowed to breathe a word.
They came down to Mapperton and interviewed me about what life might be like for an American girl marrying into this world.
From that one small snippet came May 2018, and there I was covering the royal wedding exclusively for BBC. And from that, someone at the Smithsonian Channel saw me commenting. By 2019 I was filming at some of the most incredible stately houses in the UK. And when the pandemic made filming all but impossible, Luke, Victoria (our series producer), and I decided that we would simply do it ourselves.
American Countess YouTube launched in 2021, on the back of the success of our Mapperton Live! YouTube channel in 2020.
The former allowed me to continue showcasing great houses via incredible, BBC-quality documentary productions, and the latter brought Mapperton to your screens…the good, the bad, and the water leaks!
Somewhere in the middle of all that I did a Master’s in Country House Studies, which is where Alberta properly took hold of me, and I started sharing that research with you across YouTube, Instagram, and Substack.
The Patreon communities for both American Countess and Mapperton Live! have now been growing steadily for more than five years, with THOUSANDS of subscribers.
Which brings me to the part I can’t quite tell you about.
We are bringing all of it together—every platform, every audience—into one online home. Yes, there will still be the YouTube channels, substack, social media platforms BUT… THIS will be oh so much more!
We’ve had our eyes on doing this for years now, but we didn’t have all of the pieces in place to make it possible until about a year ago. Yes, that’s how long we’ve been working on this!
This new platform will let us expand not only how much we make, but the kinds of things we can make. And best of all, it means you’ll be able to talk to one another: people across a dozen countries sharing their love of great houses, period dramas, and all things royal.
Our Patrons got the news a couple of weeks ago, and they’ll be the first through the doors. Luke and I had a LIVE Q&A with them on Sunday, and they are thrilled - to say the least! Do stay close for the public announcement…
The book is in my hands
My advance copies have arrived, and I genuinely was not prepared for how it would feel to hold one.
Secrets of an English Country House: A Year at Mapperton publishes on 24th September, which is now close enough to be counted in days rather than weeks.
And a happy change for those of you who have already pre-ordered.
You were promised three free months of Mapperton Live!. You’ll now be getting three free months of the new platform instead—which, as I say, is rather more than Mapperton Live! It’s historic houses (including ours!), period dramas and all things royal wrapped up under one roof. Anglophiles…. you will absolutely LOVE what we’ve created for you!
Down to the last hundred scarves
The Rory Hutton x Mapperton silk scarves and pocket squares are down to their final hundred.
Every penny of profit goes into restoring the West Room, and I’ll say again what I said last time: there is no second printing waiting in the wings. When they’ve gone, they’ve gone.
And if a scarf isn’t where you are right now, the smaller ways in are still open, and they matter every bit as much.
William in Paris
A week ago we were in France, delivering our number three child, William, to Sciences Po.
He’s reading international politics for the year, with every one of his courses taught in French! I am enormously proud and slightly winded by it in equal measure.
He is very rather far away, which I’m reliably told gets easier.
Two marathons, which is possibly one too many
I have somehow ended up with two marathons in the diary. One on 18th October, and then Valencia on 6th December.
I accept that this is slightly mad.
So I have been running a great deal. Yesterday, I ran my second-fastest half marathon, and I am rather pleased with myself about it.
One last thing: Dinners of Diplomacy
The Countess of Derby is hosting Dinners of Diplomacy at Knowsley Hall, and Luke and I will be there!
If you can’t join in person, there’s a digital delegate pass that brings the whole thing to you.
Thank you, as ever, for being here.
Five years is a long time to keep turning up for someone’s letters about a Dorset house, and I don’t take a single one of you for granted.
There is a great deal coming. I can’t wait to show you.
With love and gratitude,
Julie x
Whew!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️