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Charles Frederick Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 13th Duke of St Albans, OBE (16 August 1915 – 8 October 1988) was a British soldier and peer.
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Background
St Albans was the son of Aubrey Topham Beauclerk and Gwendolen Loftus Beauclerk (née Hughes) and great-grandson of William Beauclerk, 8th Duke of St Albans.
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, which he gave to charity.
Charles St Albans was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Career
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.
St Albans moved to Vence in France in the 1970s, before becoming a resident of Monaco.
Family
He married Nathalie Chatham Walker on 21 March 1938 and they divorced in 1947; she died in 1985; they had one child:
His Grace married Suzanne Marie Adèle Fesq on 19 March 1947; they had four children: