Deborah (‘Debo’) Devonshire was hefted by marriage to one of Europe’s great treasure houses, Chatsworth. In partnership with her husband, she transformed it from being the worn-out survivor of decades of taxation, war and social change into one of the best-loved and heavily-visited historic houses in the country. Along the way, she became a best-selling author and sell-out speaker, champion of the countryside, founder of one of the first – and finest – farm shops, trustee and patron of numerous charities and good causes, devotee of Elvis Presley and the most famous poultry keeper in the country. She met Hitler and Churchill, knew Macmillan and Kennedy, was a trusted confidant of the King when Prince of Wales, played her part as the steady heart of the Mitford sisters’ melodramas and was friends with a dazzling array of artistic contemporaries. Simon worked with Debo for more than 20 years and in this talk he pays tribute to an astonishing life.