MILLIONS were entranced when Downton Abbey arrived on TV, and it ran to five seasons and spawned a film franchise - the latest of which is now on general release.
But viewers were drawn as much by the elegance of the time, as the onscreen drama: perfectly set tables, carefully measured words, courtesy and respect guiding every interaction, and the attention to dress.
Baroness Nicoleta of Brattleby believes this fascination reflects a hunger in modern society for a return to better manners, etiquette, and diplomacy.
“I’m a Downton Abbey fan,” she told Monaco Voice. “And I adore the show’s depiction of grace and good manners, but these aren’t relics of the past.
“They can still be the means to a harmony, dignity, and beauty missing from everyday life. Somewhere in the last 30-40 years, we let them slip away - but they aren’t lost forever.”
Her conviction has driven her to establish the Noble House of Brattleby Club, a new private members’ club coming to London “devoted to elegance, diplomacy, and personal refinement - where tradition and modernity unite in the pursuit of excellence aims to bring the art of etiquette for the modern age”.
“Think of it as a 21st-century finishing school,” says Nicoleta. “But one open to men as well as women and rooted in contemporary life rather than historical nostalgia.”
She added that The Club - motto ‘Elegantia in Veritate’ (Elegance in Truth) - will offer courses in etiquette, diplomacy, and personal development:
“But it goes beyond table manners or polite conversation, because diplomacy is not just for embassies. It belongs in the workplace, in families, in every human interaction. A little tact, a little grace, can transform a situation. It makes life smoother, kinder, better.”
Nicoleta’s passion for heritage and tradition is no accident. Born into a family with noble roots in Romania, Germany, and Russia, and estates and mansions in Moldova (NE Romania) she grew up on stories of pre-communist Europe, and ancestral titles and influence.
Those titles were stripped away by the Soviet Union’s post-war landgrab in Eastern Europe, but she carried forward the sense that nobility implies responsibility.
“My title is honorific,” she explains. “But to me, it carries an obligation to preserve and share values that elevate human society.”
The cultural timing seems impeccable, with the eagerly awaited new Downton Abbey movie and the same team also creating a successful US counterpart, The Gilded Age, which even shares some characters. Period novels are riding high in book sales charts, while etiquette influencers are also tapping into a modern appetite for refinement.
But Nicoleta hits back at any claims that this and her own crusade with the Noble House of Brattleby Club is about elitism or living in the past: “It’s about creating a modern culture of respect. Anyone can practise good manners. Anyone can learn to carry themselves with dignity.
“Small gestures make the world gentler. A man opening a door for a woman is not about inequality, it is respect. And when we lose those gestures, we lose a beauty in life.”
Nicoleta will launch The House of Brattleby Club in Bucharest, capital of her Romanian homeland, on Tuesday (September 23) at the majestic five-star Corinthia Hotel in the city centre, bringing together 80 invitation-only members and distinguished guests.
It will include lectures and talks on etiquette, diplomacy, history, and culture, plus a dining experience showcasing refinement and tradition, and elements of ceremony and pageantry.
Similar events will also be staged in London and other key European centres - Monte Carlo is one potential target – and Nicoleta wants the Club to grow beyond being a school of etiquette, to become a movement, where members bring their learning into their daily lives, businesses, and families.
“I’m convinced that even a small circle of people who begin to live with more grace and diplomacy, can create a ripple effect in society,” she says. “It’s not about turning back the clock. “It’s about reclaiming timeless values for our future.”
Nicoleta is a lawyer-barrister by profession and CEO of a construction consultancy specialising in fire engineering and building services. She is also currently working to register a UK charity focused on preserving overlooked historic buildings.
This project was inspired by Nicoleta’s love of history and architecture, one of many passions also including horse riding, writing for her own pleasure, gardening and crafts, and travel - her favourite countries include Monaco, England, Romania, France, and Italy.