On the sudden death of Turkish diplomat Mr Pamuk at Downton  during a shooting weekend:

‘Oh my dears. Is it really true? I can’t believe it. Last night he looked so well. Of course it would happen to a foreigner. It’s typical?.?.?. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s house — especially somebody they didn’t even know.’

On feminism:

Lady Mary Crawley: ‘Sybil is entitled to her opinions.’

Dowager Countess: ‘No. She isn’t until she is married, then her husband will tell her what her opinions are.’

On beauty:

To Lady Cora about Lady Mary: ‘We’d better get her settled before the bloom has gone quite off the rose.’

On mourning clothes:

‘No one wants to kiss a girl  in black.’

On changing her mind:

‘I’m a woman, Mary. I can be as contrary as I choose.’