The wildly successful TV drama series “Downton Abbey” is becoming a reality of sorts at Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz, Switzerland, on July 5. The hotel is set on a lake in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by mountains beset with sporting activities for both summer and winter, and has served as a favorite getaway for European royalty and the idle rich since it opened in 1896. Its Downton Abbey throwback to the 1900s is fitting with its history and the well-mannered decorum it has upheld since.
The day will begin with a royal etiquette class taught by Liz Brewer, a renowned teacher of all things self-improvement related. Author of the bestseller, “Ultimate Guide to Party Planning and Etiquette,” Brewer has taught socialites and royalty the ins and outs of how to present themselves in formal settings, as she will do with guests here, too (and, if they’re lucky, divulge to them secrets of what life is like for royal household members). A well-earned absinthe afternoon tea will follow, served in the hotel’s Grand Hall. The drink was forbidden within upper social circles at the time of Downton Abbey but beloved by bohemian and creative types, and here, the drinking event comes accompanied with a fashion show of handmade garments from the Belle Époque—corsets and undergarments included. The day will finish with a historical dinner prepared by executive chef Mauro Taufer, who will model the menu off of one from that of a royal, five-course dinner in 1902, served on nothing less than plates from the hotel’s archives.
Even for guests who are not avid fans of the award-winning show, the event’s goal is to showcase the hotel’s history and the way its prestigious guests of the past lived their lives—a fanciful affair fit for a king. A second event is planned for December 2014, as well.
For more information, visit Badrutt’s Palace.