Beaufort is the son of the
11th Duke of Beaufort and his wife, Lady Caroline Jane Thynne (1928–1995), a daughter of the
6th Marquess of Bath of
Longleat House. He and his family are descended in the male line from the
House of Plantagenet, through an illegitimate line, although this descent has been questioned after the University of Leicester analysis of the Y chromosomal DNA of Richard III found most living male heirs of the 5th Duke of Beaufort carried a relatively common Y chromosome type different from the rare lineage found in Richard III's remains. Beaufort has often been described as the Head of House of Plantagenet because of his descent, and because
his line was legitimised under law early on, albeit with a prohibition on succeeding to the throne. Beaufort was educated at
Hawtreys,
Eton College, and the
Royal Agricultural College. He is a singer and songwriter with the rock group The Listening Device. This was a support act at the
Highclere Rocks concert in 2006, which also featured
Bryan Ferry,
Eric Clapton, and
Roger Waters. Since the death of his father, Beaufort is also master of the
Duke of Beaufort's Hunt. His autobiography,
The Unlikely Duke, was published in 2023. ==Personal life==