Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond, 10th Duke of Lennox, 10th Duke of Aubigny, 5th Duke of Gordon (born 19 September 1929), styled Lord Settrington until 1935 and Earl of March and Kinrara between 1935 and 1989, is an English peer and landowner.

The son of Frederick Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond, he succeeded to the titles when his father died in 1989. The seat of the Dukes of Richmond is Goodwood House in Sussex. The present Duke moved to a smaller house nearby when his son Lord March took over control of the estate and moved into the main house with his family.

Career

The Duke was educated at Eton College and William Temple College, a now defunct Church of England theological college (see William Temple Foundation). He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 60th Rifles from 1949 to 1950. He is a Chartered Accountant and spent nearly two decades working in the corporate world.

Lord Richmond has held a number of civic, business and church appointments, including Chancellor of the University of Sussex from 1985 to 1998, and Church Commissioner from 1963 to 1976; member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1960 to 1980 and on committees of the World Council of Churches. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex from 1975 until 1990, and Lord Lieutenant from 1990 to 1994.  He is also a patron of Prisoners Abroad, a charity supporting the welfare of Britons imprisoned overseas and their families.

Family

The then Earl of March married Susan Monica Grenville-Grey (b. 1932) in 1951. They had three children:

• The Lady Ellinor Caroline Gordon-Lennox (born 28 July 1952), unmarried and without issue.
• Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara (born 8 January 1955); married with children.
• The Lady Louisa Elizabeth Gordon-Lennox (born 14 March 1967); married 1 November 1997 Benjamin “Ben” Collings, with issue.

The Duke and Duchess, then Earl and Countess of March, attracted press attention when they adopted two girls of mixed race during a time of anti-immigrant sentiment and when interracial marriage was frowned upon:

• The Lady Maria Gordon-Lennox (b. 1959); married (and later divorced) with children.
• The Lady Naomi Gordon-Lennox (born 1962), actress better known as Nimmy March, married (has since divorced) with children.

Both girls were born in England to white mothers, with a Ghanaian and a black South African father respectively. Adopted children of peers were not allowed to use courtesy titles until a Royal Warrant issued in April 2004 meant that Maria and Naomi were allowed to be called Lady, as daughters of a duke.

Ancestry

Titles, styles, and arms

Titles and styles

• 19 September 1929-7 May 1935: Lord Settrington
• 7 May 1935-2 November 1989: Earl of March and Kinrara
• 2 November 1989-present: His Grace The Duke of Richmond, Lennox, and Gordon