THE Hereditary Keeper of Raglan Castle, David Somerset, the 11th Duke of Beaufort, has died at his home at Badminton House, at the age of 89.

The former lieutenant of the Coldstream Guards, who died peacefully in his sleep, leaves a wife Miranda, and four children, Harry, Anne, Edward and John. He is succeeded by his eldest son Harry, the Marquess of Worcester.

Badminton House announced the Duke’s death in a statement saying he died peacefully at his home on the Gloucestershire estate on Wednesday.

The duke was the president of the Badminton Horse Trials which is held on the family estate every year in early May.

He leaves behind an estimated £315million fortune including the 52,000-acre estate and lands in Wales, including the site of the ill-fated Circuit of Wales.

Raglan Castle, the family seat of the Somerset family until the Civil War, remained in the family’s ownership until 1938 when Henry Somerset, the 10th Duke, entrusted its guardianship to the Commissioner of Works, and the castle became a permanent tourist attraction with the Duke given the title of Hereditary Keeper.

Today, the Raglan is classed as a Grade I listed building and is administered by Cadw, attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world, each year