He inherited Castle Howard, in Henderskelfe, Yorkshire, which he successfully preserved.
Though much of his career was spent devoted to regional affairs, he served as Chairman of the BBC from 1980–3.
[1] Howard was born at 32 Chester Square, Belgravia,[2] one of five children of Hon.
His elder sister was Anglican theologian Dame Christian Howard (1916–1999).
They had four sons:[3] Howard owned Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, which was used as the setting of the fictional Bridesmaid estate in the BBC miniseries Brideshead Revisited (1981) and the 2008 film.