Are Downton Abbey stars Laura Carmichael and Michael Fox getting married at the same castle where the show and movie were filmed? That claim can be found in one of this week’s tabloids. Gossip Cop looked into it the story and we can debunk it.
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Carmichael, who plays Lady Edith on the PBS show and in the new film adaptation, is in a real-life relationship with Fox, who plays footman Andy Parker. The two have been dating for a few years, but they’re not engaged. That fact hasn’t stopped the Globe from claiming they’re planning a wedding at Highclere Castle, where all six seasons of the popular show were shot.
The magazine quotes a supposed “insider” as saying, “Laura and Michael are telling friends they’re getting married in the spring – and it’s about time. They’re pulling strings to have it at their very own Downton Abbey – aka Highclere Castle.” The anonymous source goes on to say that Carmichael became “friendly with the castle’s owners” while shooting the series, so she got permission to hold her wedding at the estate. It should be noted, the estate is available for rent to anyone for weddings. Highclere Castle even advertises wedding rentals on its website. No one has to “pull strings” to hold a ceremony there.
From there, the “insider’ claims to have all the details about Carmichael and Fox’s “wedding,” insisting there will be a catered dinner for “300-plus guests,” including “all the cast and crew” of Downton Abbey. The seemingly imaginary source adds, “Laura’s shopping for a simple but modern wedding dress and all the accessories in London.” That seems like a lot of information to know about a wedding that isn’t happening until “the spring.” Anyone who’s ever planned a wedding knows it takes quite a while to finalize the menu, guest list and wedding gown.
The tabloid’s article is also based on claims from an unknown source, but Gossip Cop checked in with a spokesperson for Fox, who tells us it’s entirely false. The Downton Abbey co-stars aren’t engaged, let alone walking down the aisle at the castle where their show was filmed.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time the tabloids have wrongly predicted a wedding at Highclere Castle. Back in 2014, the Daily Mail wrongly reported George and Amal Clooney were planning their wedding at the stately home. Just a few months after Gossip Cop busted the story, the Clooneys got married in Venice, Italy. Carmichael and Fox might return to Highclere Castle if the Downton Abbey movie gets a sequel, but they have no plans to get married there.