George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon
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George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon (June 26, 1866 - April 5, 1923), usually referred to simply as Lord Carnarvon, was the English aristocrat best known as the financier of the excavation of the Egyptian New Kingdom Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.
Born at the family home Highclere Castle in Hampshire on June 26, 1866, George Herbert succeeded to the Carnarvon title in 1890. On June 26, 1895 Carnarvon married one Almina Victoria Maria Alexandra Wombwell, daughter of Marie Boyer, the wife of Frederick Charles Wombwell, but her real father was possibly the unmarried Rothschild family member Alfred Rothschild who made Lady Carnarvon his heiress. (Their grandson, Henry George Reginald Molyneux Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, was Racing Manager to Queen Elizabeth II from 1969, and one of Her Majesty's closest friends). Exceedingly wealthy, Lord Carnarvon was at first best-known as an owner of race-horses and as a reckless driver of early automobiles, suffering - in 1901 - a serious motoring accident in Germany which left him significantly disabled.
The 5th Earl was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, undertaking in 1907 to sponsor the excavation of the royal tombs at Thebes by Howard Carter. It was in 1922 that they together opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, exposing treasures unsurpassed in the history of archaeology. Several months later, Carnarvon died suddenly, giving popular credence to the story of the "Curse of Tutankhamun", the "Mummy's Curse" - his death is most probably explained by blood poisoning (progressing to pneumonia) after accidently shaving a mosquito bite infected with erysipelas. His colleague and employee, Howard Carter - the man most responsible for revealing the tomb of the young king - lived safely for another seventeen years.
| Preceded by: Henry Herbert | Earl of Carnarvon | Succeeded by: Henry Herbert |