In 1657 Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester married Mary Capell and in 1682 the dukedom was created by Charles II, making Henry the first Duke and Mary the first Duchess of Beaufort.
The name Beaufort refers to a castle in Champagne, France (now Montmorency-Beaufort) and it is the only current dukedom to take its name from a place outside the British Isles.
The family seat is Badminton House near Chipping Sodbury in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire.
The principal burial place of the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort is St Michael and All Angels Church, Badminton.
Traditionally a widowed peeress puts "Dowager" in her style.