the duke of bedford was educated at western province preparatory school and then the diocesan college in south africa. his father, the future 13th duke of bedford, had gone to south africa in 1948 to farm in the paarl area. he continued his education at institut le rosey in switzerland and at harvard university, cambridge, massachusetts. in the early 1970s, while continuing to work with the stockbrokers de zoete & bevan, he took over the running of the woburn estate from his father, a pioneer of the commercialisation of country houses, who retired to monaco. the duke continued with the modernisation of the estate, and created a leading golf and country club business called woburn golf and country club.