Lord Edward Somerset: a fine pedigree counts for nothing "It doesn't appear to me from having read [a transcription of his interview with police]," observed Judge Mark Horton, "that he had quite appreciated the seriousness of the domestic violence in his marriage." As a result, Somerset, 55, has been ordered to meet a probation officer while on bail awaiting sentence in February; he has admitted to four counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, a conviction that carries a maximum custodial sentence of five years. His plea of guilty has spared his family - and equally deprived the nation - of the public spectacle of toffs and staff from the Badminton Estate lifting the lid on a Pandora's box of secrets. Drink and drugs - sometimes a combination of both - played a role in "incidents of violence" between the couple. It is believed that a recent attack saw Lady Somerset, also 55, daughter of the 2nd Viscount Davidson, needing hospital treatment. Their two adult daughters have maintained a dignified silence. But their father's appearance at court - unkempt and gaunt, with a scruffy beard and a diamond stud in his left ear - has led observers to wonder just what sort of lifestyle he has been pursuing. Divorce proceedings are under way between the Somersets, who, the court was told, have not seen each other for more than a year. When her QC suggested a restraining order, his QC made no objection, saying that his client accepted the marriage was over. Yet theirs was a glamorous union that looked so full of promise when they wed in 1982. The groom was handsome and wealthy. The bride wore a lavish silk taffeta gown in the frothy style pioneered by Diana, Princess of Wales at her wedding the previous year. Lady Somerset was subsequently photographed giving it another outing in 1993, when she and her husband were guests at Mick Jagger's 50th fancy dress birthday party (above). "I can quite see why Edward would be terribly flattered to be invited and feel very starstruck by the Rolling Stones," says one former houseguest. He and his brother Henry - Harry - were always a bit bohemian, and really loved their music. In their youth - as now - they weren't airs-and-graces aristos, they prided themselves on being terribly liberal and rock'n"roll." Edward Somerset is the third child of four born to the 11th Duke of Beaufort, 85-year-old David Somerset, who is worth an estimated £135 million. The eldest son, the aforementioned Henry, 60, is Marquess of Worcester and heir to both the estate and his father's title. Known to his friends as "Bunter," he is married to eco-campaigner Tracy Ward, now Lady Worcester, and although he trained as a chartered surveyor cites his day job as "farmer." The Duke of Beaufort title was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, the 3rd Marquess of Worcester, who could trace his lineage back to the Plantagenet King Edward III in the 1300s. It was he who established the Duke of Beaufort's Hunt, one of the oldest and largest fox-hunting packs in England; the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have all hunted with the current Duke's hounds. Strictly speaking, primogeniture would dictate that the present Duke of Beaufort's younger offspring would receive nothing. But the Eton-educated Duke is known as a devoted father who takes a keen interest in his children's welfare. In a plot twist worthy of Downton Abbey, it was revealed in court that he had allegedly requested his eldest son to meet Lady Somerset's cousin to discuss a financial arrangement in exchange for her dropping the case against Somerset. No such agreement was reached. "There's a real de haut en bas thread running through the Beaufort clan," an acquaintance concedes. The Duke has impeccable manners and loves the company of women, and indeed vice versa. But Edward and Harry have always struck me as rather louche in manner. When I last spent time with them - which admittedly must have been a couple of decades ago - there was something purposeless about them. Edward in particular seemed aimless and seemed to have no goals beyond the next day. Those who knew Lord and Lady Somerset, who lived in the Grade II‑listed Essex House at the entrance of Badminton village, say theirs did not seem to be a harmonious marriage, and there was a certain indefinable tension between them at times. Yet their marriage survived 30 years. It's only natural to puzzle over Lady Somerset's motivations for staying as long as she did; unlike many victims of abuse, she wasn't in danger of ending up on benefits. Yet the reasons why any victim of abuse doesn't walk away are legion: fear, shame, an unwillingness to subject the children to a separation and divorce, a refusal to accept the magnitude of the trauma. In circles where lineage is paramount and family trees are a matter of public record, the stigma of domestic violence is huge. Not that that means it doesn't happen. The January issue of Tatler magazine includes a feature entitled "Not too Posh to Punch." The article cites various cases including that of Damian Brenninkmeyer, 42, formerly head of Old Masters at Christies and a scion of a multibillion-dollar property and retail dynasty, who was given a suspended sentence in August for beating his wife Fiona, 40. The first time he assaulted her was when she was eight months pregnant on their honeymoon. The most recent was last summer, in front of their two daughters. There are still so many myths and misconceptions surrounding domestic violence. People often think that it only happens in poor families on council estates," emphasises Sandra Horley, chief executive of the national domestic violence charity Refuge. Domestic violence affects women of all ages, classes and backgrounds - and abusive men are just as likely to be lawyers, accountants and judges as they are cleaners or unemployed. There is no excuse for using violence, threats and intimidation against your partner, regardless of your social standing. Domestic violence is a crime. It is a crime for which Lord Edward Somerset will be punished. In the meantime, he will be under the supervision of a probation officer, who may be called upon to make a sentencing recommendation to the judge. Intriguingly, the Beaufort family motto is the gung-ho Mutare vel timere sperno, which translates as "I spurn to change or to fear." It would appear that it's time for a rethink; regardless of his distinguished pedigree, unless Lord Edward Somerset embraces change, he will have cause to fear a prison sentence.