Charles Beauclerk, 13th Duke of St Albans

St Albans was the son of Aubrey Topham de Vere Beauclerk (Winchfield, Hampshire, 29 October 1850 - 14 January 1933) and wife (Chelsea, London, Middlesex, 17 September 1913) Gwendolen Loftus Hughes (Pole Hore, Wexford, 19 June 1880 - 2 May 1958), paternal grandson of Lord Charles Beauclerk (10 October 1813 - 2 November 1861) and wife (7 September 1842) Laura Mary Theresa Stopford (1820 - 26 September 1858) and maternal grandson of Sir Frederick Hughes of Barnstown House, Wexford (1814 - 18 November 1895), and second wife (1871) Theodosia James, and great-grandson on his mother's side of Robert Hughes of Ely House, Wexford (10 September 1772 - ?) (son of Abraham Hughes and wife Jane Clifford) and wife (1 January 1797) Anne Sparks (daughter of Frederick Sparks and wife ...) and of Edward James of Swarland Park (Otterburn Tower, Northumberland, 1811 - 10 July 1874) (son of William James and wife ...) and wife (Leamington Priors, Warwick, Warwickshire, 24 April 1844) Anne "Annie" Finlay (daughter of Thomas Finlay and wife ...). A great-grandson of William Beauclerk, 8th Duke of St Albans, by the mid-1920s it seemed possible that he would inherit the dukedom, as the wife of his second cousin Osborne Beauclerk, 12th Duke of St Albans, was past child-bearing age.

Charles St Albans 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 inherited the dukedom from his cousin in 1964, after which he left the Central Office of Information. He attempted to rebuild the family fortunes through a series of misguided ventures, which led to massive personal losses for himself, and accusation of mishandling of share dealing in relation to the company Grendon Securities.

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.

In the 1970s St Albans moved to Vence in France, before becoming a resident of Monaco.[1]

He married Nathalie Chatham Walker (1915 - 1985) on 21 March 1938 and they divorced in 1947 they had one child and son:

• Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans (born 19 January 1939)

He married Suzanne Marie Adèle Fesq[2] on 19 March 1947; they had four children:

• Lord Peter Charles de Vere Beauclerk
• Lord James Charles Fesq de Vere Beauclerk
• Lord John William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk
• Lady Caroline Anne de Vere Beauclerk
• stillborn daughter

• 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)