Royal splendor: The palatial homes and captivating lives of Britain’s modern aristocrats | CNN

Jonathan Becker

This 50-foot ballroom, featuring a collection of gold and enamel boxes, lies in what is reportedly Britain's most expensive private residence, Dudley House. Once the London abode of the Ward family, who had owned it since 1730, it was bought and restored by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani, a member of Qatar's royal family, in 2006.

Jonathan Becker

Designed by French architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England was completed in 1883. Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales who later became Edward VII are among some of the distinguished guests of this neo-French Renaissance chateau.

Jonathan Becker

The Rothschild family built 44 grand houses in the 19th century including Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England. This photo of the smoking room is a perfect example of what has become the decorating style known as Le Goût Rothschild, an elaborate and ornate approach to design. "Some Rothschild houseguests purportedly found the weight of the assembled riches oppressive. But it didn't seem to stop them from coming back for more," writes James Reginato in his new book Great Houses Modern Aristocrats.

Jonathan Becker

The large library in Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. The house has been passed down to the Dukes of Richmond since 1697 and now sits with the son of the 10th Duke, Charles the Earl of March and Kinara. The Earl revived the house's sporting history by reopening its racetrack which now hosts hundred of thousands of visitors each year. "Goodwood, in other words, is Downtown Abbey meets NASCAR," writes James Reginato in "Great Houses: Modern Aristocrats."

Simon Watson

A Victorian bed hung with purple silk is the centerpiece of a guest bedroom in Luggala. According to the book, "it takes the Honourable Garech Browne about twenty minutes to drive to the nearest village, but most of that time is spent exiting his own property."

Jonathan Becker

This tapestry-lined private sitting room is in Houghton Hall, a home built by Britain's first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, in 1722 in Norfolk. It once housed what was considered to be one of the finest collections of art in Britain until hundreds of the pieces were sold to Catherine the Great by the financially troubled heirs of the state. Houghton Hall's current owner and descendent of Walpole, David George Philip Cholmondeley the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, was able to secure a temporary return of 70 of the pictures, which hung in their original locations for six months.

Jonathan Becker

The 12th Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury pose with their son in the library of St. Giles House for the cover of "Great Houses: Modern Aristocrats". "The fecklessness of the English upper class has been a favorite story line in literature and film. But I was consistently impressed by the creativity and industry of every person in this book," Reginato writes in the book's introduction.

CNN —

From Pride and Prejudice to Downton Abbey, Britain’s aristocrats and their opulent homes have long been fodder for popular fiction.

Yet the real life houses of the landed gentry – and the often lavish and eccentric lives of their owners – are as fascinating as the stories drawn from them.

“Great Houses: Modern Aristocrats” takes a comprehensive look at this rarefied world, shining a light on the architectural histories of Britain’s stately mansions and the sagas of the families who own them.

The chronicles prove to be sensational. In the first few pages there’s murder, marriage for money, and conniving characters – like the prostitute-turned-dowager-countess who now resides behind bars.

As the book’s author James Reginato writes in the introduction, “It is as much about the people as it is about the houses.”

The homes are a fitting backdrop for the drama, and their rich architectural opulence is examined upstairs and down from the intricate stone exteriors to the artistic treasures that are housed within.

“There is something wonderful in watching the layers of history and the passage of time – where materials age and get better with years – which one finds in these houses,” the Queen’s nephew, Viscount Linley, says in the introduction. “You can see how each generation has put its mark on the place.”

The Viscount, who is presently eighteenth in line to the British throne and chairman of auction house Christie’s, clearly speaks from experience.

Take a look inside the homes and lives of Britain’s aristocrats in the gallery above. “Great Houses: Modern Aristocrats” by James Reginato, published by Rizzoli New York, is out now.