He attended Eton College, studied history at the University of Oxford, and then land management at Reading University and worked in the Arundel Castle estate office for seven years, before moving back to Northumberland to manage the Alnwick estate for his elder brother Henry, the 11th Duke.
Er studierte Geschichte an der University of Oxford, dann Landmanagement an der University of Reading und arbeitete sieben Jahre im Arundel Castle Estate Office, bevor er nach Northumberland zurückkehrte um das Alnwick Estate für seinen älteren Bruder Henry, den 11. Duke zu managen.