Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort

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Henry Hugh Arthur FitzRoy Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort KG GCVO KStJ PC (April 4, 1900February 5, 1984) was a British peer, the son of Henry Somerset, 9th Duke of Beaufort.

He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from which he was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards. He left the Army after a few years with the rank of Lieutenant. He was Honorary Colonel of the 21st (Royal Gloucestershire Hussars) Armoured Car Company, Territorial Army between 1969 and 1971 and Honorary Colonel of the Warwickshire Yeomanry between 1971 and 1972.

Beaufort was Master of the Horse (1936–1978), to three British Sovereigns, King Edward VIII, King George VI, and Elizabeth II. He was widely known as Master, not because of his office under the Crown, but because of his long service as Master of the Beaufort Hounds.

He married Princess Mary of Teck, daughter of Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge and niece of Queen Mary, on 14 June 1923. They had no issue.

He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (G.C.V.O.) in 1930, as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) in 1936, Knight of the Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1937 and was awarded the decoration of the Royal Victorian Chain in 1953.

He held the office of Steward of Tewkesbury between 1948 and 1984, Hereditary Keeper of Raglan Castle, Lord Lieutenant of Bristol from 1931 to 1974 and Lord High Steward of Bristol, Tewkesbury and Gloucestershire. He also held the office of Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire between 1931 and 1984 and was Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 1965 to 1970.

Beaufort died in 1984, aged 83 at his seat, Badminton House. On his death, the Baronies of Botetourt and Herbert fell into abeyance between the several descendants of his elder sister, Lady Blanche Linnie Douglas (d. 1968) -- between the two daughters of his elder niece Lady Rosemary Rubens (who predeceased him in 1963) who inherited a fourth share each in two baronies, and his surviving niece Lady Cathleen Hudson (who d. 1994) who inherited the junior half share in the baronies. His other titles passed to his distant cousin, David. The abeyance on the Herbert barony was eventually terminated in 2002 in favour of his great-nephew David John Seyfried.[citation needed]

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Honorary titles
Preceded by
The Earl Beauchamp
Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
1931–1984
Succeeded by
Martin Gibbs
Political offices
Preceded by
The Earl of Granard
Master of the Horse
1936–1978
Succeeded by
The Earl of Westmorland
Peerage of England
Preceded by
Henry Somerset
Duke of Beaufort
1924–1984
Succeeded by
David Somerset
Baron Botetourt
1924–1984
Succeeded by
Abeyant
Baron Herbert
1924–1984
Succeeded by
Abeyant
(until 2002)
Next Incumbent: David Seyfried-Herbert
Academic offices
Preceded by
Winston Churchill
Chancellor of the University of Bristol
1965–1970
Succeeded by
Dorothy Hodgkin
Languages