His mother was the daughter of statesman Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Viceroy of India and Governor General of Canada.

He was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, Eton, and at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Cavendish was first introduced to dancer and actress Adele Astaire in London in 1927, on the closing night of her show Funny Face.

The couple lived at Lismore Castle in County Waterford, Ireland, which had been given to them as a wedding present by Lord Charles's father, the 9th Duke of Devonshire.

[6] This biography of a peer, peeress or noble of the United Kingdom, or one or more of its constituent countries, is a stub.