Charles Innes-Ker, 11th Duke of Roxburghe

His Grace The Duke of Roxburghe
Born	Charles Robert George Innes-Ker, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford (1981-02-18) 18 February 1981 (age 43) Leith, Scotland[1]
Education	Eton College Newcastle University Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Spouses	The Hon. Charlotte Aitken ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2012)​ Annabel Green ​ ​ (m. 2021)​
Partner(s)	Morvarid Sahafi (2014–2020)
Children	Eugenie Innes-Ker Frederick Innes-Ker, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford
Parent(s)	Guy Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe Lady Jane Grosvenor
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Rank	Captain
Unit	Blues and Royals

Charles Robert George Innes-Ker, 11th Duke of Roxburghe (born 18 February 1981), also known as Charles Innes or Charlie Roxburghe and styled as the Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford until 2019, is a British aristocrat and military officer.

Life and career

Roxburghe was born in 1981 at Eastern General Hospital in Leith, Edinburgh, the eldest son of the 10th Duke of Roxburghe and his first wife, the former Lady Jane Meriel Grosvenor, daughter of the 5th Duke of Westminster.^[2] He was christened at St Andrew's Church, Kelso. His godparents included Sir William van Straubenzee, his great-uncle Lord Robert Innes-Kerr, Annabel, Viscountess Astor and Lady Iona Grimston.^[3] His uncle was Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster.^[2]

He was educated at Eton College and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.^[4] In February 2003, while still a student, he was caught travelling on the Tyne and Wear Metro without paying the £1 fare.^[5][6] He chose to pay a £10 fine rather than take the case to court and risk appearing on "losers' posters" displayed around the city, naming people who had been caught travelling without tickets.^[5][6]

He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, passing out in December 2004, and served with the Blues and Royals in Windsor and Iraq.^[4]

Prior to succeeding to the dukedom on his father's death in August 2019, he was styled Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford.^[2] As Lord Bowmont, instead of "sitting around like a hawk at home, waiting to take over", with his fellow officer Rob Bassett-Cross he set up a company called Capstar, which owned a fleet of black Jaguar XJs and provided chauffeur services, employing mostly ex-servicemen and women.^[4]

Upon his accession to the dukedom in 2019, he inherited Floors Castle and 60,000 acres around the Cheviot Hills and the River Tweed as well as hotels in the area, with an estimated wealth of up to £100 million.^[2]

Marriages and children

On 22 July 2011, he married The Honourable Charlotte Susanna Aitken (b. 15 February 1982), elder daughter of Maxwell Aitken, 3rd Baron Beaverbrook.^[7] The couple separated and sued for divorce in June 2012, less than a year after the wedding.^{[citation needed]} In 2016, he had a daughter with fashion designer Morvarid Sahafi. On 30 January 2021, his engagement to Annabel Green was announced, and they married in September 2021 at Floors Castle. Annabel became upon marriage the Duchess of Roxburghe.^[8]

On 28 February 2024, the Duchess gave birth to a son and heir, Frederick Charles Ian Innes-Ker, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford.^[9]

Chiefship of Clan Innes

The previous Duke of Roxburghe was heir to the chiefship of Clan Innes (Clann Innis, not Mac Aonghuis or Clan MacInnes); however, since he bears the surname Innes-Ker, the Lord Lyon King of Arms will not recognise the present duke as chief of the name Innes.

v t e Ker and Innes-Ker family tree: Earls of Roxburghe and Dukes of Roxburghe family tree

Lord Roxburghe, 1600 Earl of Roxburghe and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 1616 Robert Ker (1570–1650) 1st Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun Margaret Ker Lord Bellenden, of Broughton, 1661 William Ker (d. 1643) styled Lord Ker Lady Jean Ker Henry Ker (d. 1643) styled Lord Ker William Bellenden (d. 1671) 1st Lord Bellenden William Drummond (Ker) (1622–1675) 2nd Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun Jean Ker Margaret Ker (d. 1681) James Innes 3rd Innes Baronet Robert Ker (1658–1682) 3rd Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun John Ker (Bellenden) (d. 1707) 2nd Lord Bellenden Henry Innes (d. 1721) 4th Innes Baronet Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, Viscount Broxmouth, 1707 Robert Ker (c. 1677–1696) 4th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun John Ker (1680–1741) 1st Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 5th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun John Bellenden (1685–1741) 3rd Lord Bellenden William Bellenden (1702–1758) Henry Innes (d. 1762) 5th Innes Baronet Earl Ker, of Wakefield in the County of York, and Baron Ker, of Wakefield in the County of York, 1722 Duke of Roxburghe, 1707 (succession decided, 1812) Robert Ker (c. 1709–1755) 2nd Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 6th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 1st Earl Ker and Baron Ker Ker Bellenden (1725–1753) 4th Lord Bellenden Robert Bellenden (1734–1797) 6th Lord Bellenden William Bellenden-Ker (1728–1805) 4th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 8th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun 7th Lord Bellenden James Innes-Ker (1736–1823) 5th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 9th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun 6th Innes-Ker Baronet Lordship Bellenden extinct, 1805 Earl Innes, 1837 John Ker (1740–1804) 3rd Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 7th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 2nd Earl Ker and Baron Ker John Ker Bellenden (1751–1796) 5th Lord Bellenden James Henry Robert Innes-Ker (1816–1879) 6th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 10th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 1st Earl Innes 7th Innes-Ker Baronet Dukedom dormant, Earldom Ker and Barony Ker extinct, 1804 James Henry Robert Innes-Ker (1839–1892) 7th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 11th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 2nd Earl Innes 8th Innes-Ker Baronet Henry John Innes-Ker (1876–1932) 8th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 12th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 3rd Earl Innes 9th Innes-Ker Baronet George Victor Robert John Innes-Ker (1913–1974) 9th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, and Viscount Broxmouth, 13th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 4th Earl Innes 10th Innes-Ker Baronet Guy David Innes-Ker (1954–2019) 10th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, Viscount Broxmouth, 14th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 5th Earl Innes 11th Innes-Ker Baronet Charles Robert George Innes-Ker (b. 1981) 11th Duke of Roxburghe, Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford, Earl of Kelso, Viscount Broxmouth, 15th Earl of Roxburghe, Lord Roxburghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, 6th Earl Innes 12th Innes-Ker Baronet Frederick Charles Ian Innes-Ker b. 2024 styled Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford Heir apparent to the Dukedom of Roxburghe

Notes

References

1. "Roxburghe Heir". The Scotsman. 19 February 1981. p. 10. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
2. "The young elite 11-20". The Guardian. 12 March 2000. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
3. "Christening". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 12 May 1981. p. 14.
4. Charlotte Edwardes, ‘Harry was a very good officer: his soldiers really admired him’, Evening Standard, 30 July 2014, accessed 29 October 2023
5. Haldenby, Andrew. "Daily Telegraph, 7 February 2003 – Student heir to £70m dodges £1 rail fare". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
6. "BBC News, 12 February 2003 – Marquess pays up after dodging fare". 12 February 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
7. "Telegraph Announcements – The Marquis of Bowmont and Cessford and the Hon Charlotte Aitken". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
8. Cope, Rebecca (16 September 2021). "Britain's most eligible bachelor the Duke of Roxburghe is officially off the market". Tatler. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
9. Bickerstaff, Isaac (22 March 2024). "Welcome to the world baby Freddie! Duke of Roxburghe, once Britain's most eligible bachelor, shares first snaps of his son with South African mining heiress". Tatler. Retrieved 16 August 2024.

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Guy Innes-Ker	Duke of Roxburghe 2019–present	Incumbent
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Duke of Montrose	Gentlemen The Duke of Roxburghe	Succeeded by The Duke of Manchester