Rayanne of 'My So-Called Life' Is Now the Countess of Devon
Way to go, Rayanne! "Downton Abbey" fairy tale. The actress best known as Rayanne Graff on "My So-Called Life" is now the Countess of Devon and mistress of a 600-year-old, 4,000-acre British estate. We'd call that a so-called awesome life.
A.J. -- who also starred in "Baywatch," "The Wonder Years" and "Private Practice" -- met her husband, Charles Courtenay, in Las Vegas in 2002 and married him back in 2005. They are only in the news now because his father, the Earl of Devon, just passed away. That means Charles now has that title and A.J. (aka Allison Joy) is the Countess of Devon and their crib is Powderham Castle in Exeter, Devon, England. Not bad for a girl from Columbus, Ohio! Here are photos of the couple and their castle.
A.J. told Breezy Mama back in 2009 that she, Charles and their two children, Joscelyn, now 8, and Jack, 6, are just a normal family. "The whole title thing...I am no expert," A.J. said (via The Daily Beast) of being lord and lady. "It means they have a verrrrrrry big and long family tree. It means more to some people and less to others. It definitely makes for interesting conversation, and an interesting story. Am I royalty now? No—I am not royalty...by marrying Charlie I can take the courtesy title of 'Lady,' and my children can take the title 'Honorable.' If Charlie becomes the Earl of Devon, my title would become the Countess of Devon and our kids would be Lords and Ladies." (That's what just happened.) "But we don't use the titles in our daily lives," she continued, "they are there and we respect the history that gave rise to them, but in our reality we're just a normal family."
Her husband Charles told the site in 2009, "Royalty implies a person is a member of the royal family, which we are not. An Earldom is an aristocratic or noble title granted by the King or Queen of the time—in our case by Queen Mary Tudor—but it is not a royal title and, save for Joscelyn who thinks she's a princess, we're not considered royalty."
Every little girl is a princess, whether she's royal, a "lady," or just a cool little commoner like the rest of us. But it's pretty cool to go back and watch "My So-Called Life" and imagine Rayanne Graff someday becoming a countess. Who knew?
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