Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford
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Henry Robin Ian Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford (January 21, 1940 - June 13, 2003), known before 2002 by the courtesy title Marquess of Tavistock, became better known to the public than most of his ancestors by appearing in a television series.
The Duke of Bedford was educated at Institute Le Rosey in Switzerland and a Harvard University. In the early 1970s he took over the running of the Woburn Estate from his father, a pinoneer 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. However his plans to develop a major theme park at Woburn failed to come to fruition. He suffered a severe stroke in his early 50's, leading to a diffident nature over his last ten years. With his wife, Henrietta, he appeared in the BBC series "Country House", detailing the life at Woburn Abbey, the Bedfords' ancestral home in Bedfordshire, England. He succeeded his father to the dukedom in 2002, but passed away after another stroke in 2003. He had already handed over control of Woburn Abbey to his son in 2001.
| Preceded by: John Robert Russell | Duke of Bedford | Succeeded by: Andrew Russell |