He was Headmaster of Eton while David Cameron and Boris Johnson were there,[3] as well as Rory Stewart, the Olympic oarsman Matthew Pinsent and the actors Dominic West and Damian Lewis.
He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1985 and, in 2002, he was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Thistle.
[4] His other positions included visitor at Harris Manchester College, Oxford; member of the visiting committee of Harvard University Memorial Church; trustee of the Royal Collection Trust; and chairman of Cumberland Lodge.
He was married to Elizabeth ("Poppy") Anderson, daughter of William and Mary Mason of Skipton.
[9] He was an honorary Old Abingdonian and in 2018 accompanied Poppy, Kate and Will Gompertz, to open Beech Court at Abingdon School.