Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort

Henry John FitzRoy Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort (born 22 May 1952), also known as Bunter Beaufort, previously as Bunter Worcester^[1] is an English peer and landowner, with estates in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire based on Badminton House.

Biography

Beaufort is the son of the 11th Duke of Beaufort and his wife Lady Caroline Jane Thynne (1928–1995), a daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bath. He and his family are descended in the male line from the House of Plantagenet, through a legitimated line.

Beaufort was educated at Hawtreys, Eton College, and the Royal Agricultural College.

His first wife was the environmentalist and former actress Tracy Louise Ward (a sister of Rachel Ward and a great-granddaughter of William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley). They were married on 13 June 1987 at Cornwell, in Oxfordshire, but later separated and divorced. The marriage produced three children:

• Lord Alexander Lorne Somerset,^[2] Marquess of Worcester and previously as Earl of Glamorgan (b. 19 November 1993 (London) – also known as Jordan Somerset)
• Lady Isabella Elsa Somerset (b. 3 August 2003) – also known as Bella Somerset)
• (Henry) Robert FitzRoy Somerset, born 20 January 1999, also known as Bobby Worcester^[2]

Beaufort has famously kept the day to day life of his children out of the society eye, most notably that of his eldest son and heir to the Duchy.

On 30 April, 2018, Beaufort married secondly Georgia Powell (born 18 February 1969), a granddaughter of the novelist Anthony Powell.^[3]

Beaufort is also a singer and songwriter with the rock group The Listening Device. The band was a support act at the Highclere Rocks concert in 2006 that also featured Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, and Roger Waters, amongst others.^[4]

Ancestry

Arms

Coat of arms of Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort

Notes The coat of arms of the Duke of Beaufort Coronet The coronet of a Duke Crest A Portcullis Or nailed Azure and chained of the first Escutcheon Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Azure three Fleurs-de-lys Or (France), 2nd and 3rd, Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or (England), all within a Bordure compony Argent and Azure Supporters Dexter: a Panther Argent flames issuing from his mouth and ears proper plain collared and chained Or and semée of Torteaux, Hurts and Pommes alternately Sinister: a Wyvern with wings endorsed Vert holding in its mouth a Sinister Hand couped at the wrist Gules Motto Mutare vel timere sperno (Latin for "I scorn to change or to fear")

Notes

External links

• The Listening Device Official Website