A member of one of Britain’s grandest aristocratic families is to appear in court this week accused of beating up his wife.
Edward Alexander Somerset, the 54-year-old son of the Duke of Beaufort, faces six charges of assault.
A preliminary hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday will decide whether Lord Somerset will face trial.
Lord Somerset, pictured with his wife Caroline at a fancy dress party in 1993, has been accused of beating his wife on six occasions
The father-of-two, who lives on the 52,000-acre Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire, is accused of assaulting Caroline, his wife of 30 years.
Court documents reveal that Lord Somerset, a nephew of the eccentric Lord Bath, is accused of causing her actual bodily harm on six occasions.
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It is understood that one of the most recent alleged incidents led to Lady Somerset being hospitalised, which in turn led to police becoming involved.
The first assault is alleged to have occurred at a London address and could date back more than 25 years.
The other attacks are alleged to have taken place at Badminton – the couple live in Grade II-listed Essex House on the estate – with the most recent occurring last October.
It is understood that one of the recent alleged incidents left Lady Somerset hospitalised
Millfield-educated Lord Somerset, who attended North Avon magistrates’ court earlier this month in connection with the charges, has two grown-up daughters, Francesca and Rose, with his 54-year-old wife.
If the case goes to trial, it is understood the prosecution will call several witnesses from the aristocracy as well as ‘downstairs’ staff from Badminton.
The 17th century estate is home to the world famous Badminton Horse Trials. This year’s event begins on Thursday, the day Lord Somerset is due back in court.
Lord Somerset’s father is David, the 11th Duke of Beaufort, who is estimated to be worth £135million.
His eldest brother, Henry John Fitzroy, Marquess of Worcester, 60, is heir to the estate and title.
Lord Somerset is the third of the 85-year-old duke’s four children with his first wife, Lady Caroline Thynne.
Lord and Lady Somerset married in 1982 at his family home, Badminton Estate
When they married in 1950, their London wedding was attended by George VI, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The duchess, who died in 1995, was the sister of the 7th Marquess of Bath, eccentric owner of Longleat Estate, known for his boasts of having over 70 ‘wifelets’.
The duke, who remarried in 2000, features on the Tatler list of ‘people who really matter’ where he is described as being an ‘incredibly dashing’ man who ‘utterly worships his children’.
He is listed in joint 590th position in this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, which notes he stands to make £180,000 a year from a planned wind farm near Swansea.
The dukedom – motto ‘I scorn to change or to fear’ – was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, who was given huge parcels of land, mainly in the West Country and South Wales.
The couple live in a Grade-2 listed house on the 52,000-acre Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire
The name Beaufort refers to a castle in the Champagne region of France and is the only current dukedom to be named after a place outside the British Isles.
The current duke is chairman of Marlborough Fine Art and was at the centre of a controversy four years ago when he was accused of cashing in on a 400-year-old aristocratic right, by charging taxpayers £280,000 to build a bridge over a river he owns in Wales. The 70ft footbridge was the only way to link the new Liberty Stadium – home of Swansea City and Ospreys rugby team – to an adjoining shopping park.
The duke had to give his permission because he owns the bed of the River Tawe, which runs through the city.
The council had to pay him for an easement order to build the bridge.