Charles Beauclerk, 13th Duke of St Albans

St Albans was the son of Aubrey Topham de Vere Beauclerk (1850–1933) and Gwendolen Loftus Hughes (1880–1958). He was a great-grandson of William Beauclerk, 8th Duke of St Albans. He was educated at Hordle House School, Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge.[1]

Commissioned in the British Army, he reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the Intelligence Corps before the age of 30, and later was deployed to the British Embassy in Vienna. He moved to London after the birth of his fourth son, and joined the Central Office of Information. He became head in turn of the Film, Radio and Book divisions.

He succeeded to the dukedom and other titles upon the death of his cousin Osborne Beauclerk, 12th Duke of St Albans in 1964, after which he left the Central Office of Information. With his second wife, he ran the Upper Grosvenor Gallery in Mayfair from 1967 until 1972.[2] He attempted to rebuild a family fortune through a series of other failed ventures, which led to losses and an accusation of mishandling of share dealing in relation to the company Grendon Securities. In the 1970s, St Albans moved to Vence in France, before becoming a resident of Monaco.[1]

As Hereditary Grand Falconer of England, the Duke had an ancient entitlement to an annual side of venison from deer culled in the Royal Parks,[1] which he gave to charity.

St Albans married Nathalie Chatham Walker (1915 - 1985) on 21 March 1938. They divorced in 1947 having had one son:

• Murray de Vere Beauclerk, 14th Duke of Saint Albans (born 19 January 1939)

He married secondly Suzanne Marie Adèle Fesq[3] on 19 March 1947. They had five children:

• Lord Peter Charles de Vere Beauclerk (born 13 January 1948)
• Lord James Charles Fesq de Vere Beauclerk (born 6 February 1949)
• Lord John William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk (born 10 February 1950)
• Lady Caroline Anne de Vere Beauclerk (born 19 July 1951)
• unnamed daughter (born & died 15 November 1963)

St Albans was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1945.

OBE insignia

St Albans died in 1988 at the age of 73 and was succeeded in the dukedom and other titles by his eldest son, Murray.

• Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th Edition, edited by Charles Mosley, Wilmington, Delaware, 2003, vol III, pp. 3459-3466, ISBN 0-9711966-2-1

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by The Duke of St Albans
• The House of Nell Gwyn: Fortunes of the Beauclerk Family, Donald Adamson (William Kimber, Ldn 1974)