Julian Fellowes has revealed he has quit one of the most high-profile jobs in the country. The Downton Abbey creator is stepping down from a prestigious position in the House of Lords after 15 years of service.
Julian, 76, who is an actor, novelist, writer, producer and director, has served in the Upper House as Lord Fellowes of West Stafford since 2011. It is a role he was given by David Cameron's Coalition government, but he has given written notice that he will retire from sitting as a Conservative peer in April.
While the role is usually held for life, Julian - who has previously opened about health challenges - is stepping down from the position with no explanation. Indeed, the Oscar winner refused to be drawn on his reasoning and told the Daily Mail: "I don't want to talk about it."
It comes at a time of much professional change for Julian, who lives in Dorset with his wife, Emma Kitchener, 63, who is a former lady-in-waiting to Princess Michael of Kent. After all, the decision comes just months after Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale premiered in September.
© Getty ImagesDownton Abbey ending
At the time of the third and final Downton Abbey film's release, Julian explained why the story would end there. He told Entertainment Weekly that he didn’t want to write about the Crawley family during World War II, which is what the plot was now on the cusp of.
He explained: "I didn't really want to get into the Nazis and Germany and the lead up to the Second World War. I wanted to leave at a time when that had not yet become apparent as a threat."
In addition to its big screen installments, Downton Abbey ran for six series on ITV, between 2010 and 2015. It made household names of stars including Michelle Dockery, Joanne Frogatt, Dan Stevens, Lily James and Hugh Bonneville, and famously cast the late Maggie Smith.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesDespite Downton Abbey's huge international success, it was Julian's Gosford Park that won him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2002. He is also behind The Gilded Age on Amazon Prime.
Julian has frequently written about a world that he has a front-row perspective on, having been born in 1949 into an aristocratic family and attending prestigious private schools. His wife is herself the great-grandniece of Herbert, 1st Earl Kitchener, whom he met at a party in 1989.
Their son Peregrine has also gone into the same business. Indeed, the 35-year-old is listed as an associate producer on the final Downton Abbey film.
