Tracy Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort facts for kids

Tracy Louise Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort, was born Tracy Louise Ward on December 22, 1958. She is a British environmental activist and a former actress. Many people know her as Tracy Worcester. As an actress, she was called Tracy-Louise Ward. She was previously married to the 12th Duke of Beaufort.

Early Life and Acting Career

Tracy Louise Ward was born in Kensington, London. Her father was the Hon. Peter Alistair Ward. He was a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Dudley. Her father became the chairman of a family business called Baggeridge Brick.

Tracy is the sister of the actress Rachel Ward. She also has one brother and two half-brothers. Her great-grandfather, the 2nd Earl of Dudley, was an important leader in Ireland and Australia.

Tracy grew up on her father's estate in Cornwell, Oxfordshire. After school, she worked as a model in Paris. She also worked at Christie's in London, which is a famous auction house. Later, she worked in art galleries in New York.

In her early twenties, Tracy trained to be an actress. She studied at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and the London Drama School.

Notable Acting Roles

Tracy is well-known for her role as Tessa Robinson. This was in the TV detective series C.A.T.S. Eyes from 1986 to 1987. She also appeared in the film Dance with a Stranger in 1985.

Another role was in the Doctor Who TV show. She was in the episode called Timelash in 1985. In 1990, she played the first Miss Scarlett in the TV game show Cluedo. She also performed in plays like Our Day Out and Intimacy.

Personal Life

On June 13, 1987, Tracy married Henry, Marquess of Worcester. His friends called him Bunter. He was a landowner and surveyor. Henry was the oldest son of the 11th Duke of Beaufort.

Their wedding was a big event. Even Charles III, who was then Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales attended. Tracy and Henry divorced in 2018. This was shortly after Henry became the 12th Duke of Beaufort. They have three children together. One of their children is Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester.

Environmental Activism

In 1989, Tracy Worcester started volunteering with Friends of the Earth. Since then, she has been very active in environmental work. She has been a trustee for The Gaia Foundation. She was also involved with the International Society for Ecology and Culture.

Tracy has also been a trustee for The Schumacher Society. She was on the Council of the UK's Soil Association. She also worked with the International Forum on Globalisation.

Promoting Local Food

Since 1989, Tracy Worcester has worked hard to promote local food. She helps raise money and gives speeches. She also writes and makes documentaries about this topic. Her films include Is Small Still Beautiful in India and The Politics of Happiness in Bhutan.

She produced a film called Pig Business. It was shown on Channel 4 in 2009. This film showed the problems caused by large-scale pig farming. These problems affect the environment and people's health.

Farms Not Factories Campaign

Tracy founded and leads an organization called Farms Not Factories. This group encourages people to buy meat from local farmers. These farmers raise animals in a good way. She talks to the government about this issue. She also asks people to buy food grown close to home.

She has worked with famous people like Jerome Flynn and Dominic West. They helped her bring attention to large factory farms being built in the UK. She also worked with chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to encourage buying high-welfare pork.

Tracy has even bought shares in big supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's. She attends their meetings to campaign against them buying pork from factory farms. She has also secretly investigated conditions inside UK factory pig farms.

Political Involvement

During the 2015 general election, Tracy supported Caroline Lucas. Caroline Lucas was a candidate for the Green Party. In the 2019 general election, Tracy supported Jeremy Corbyn. She now supports George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain.

In 2012, she was one of nine people who helped pay bail for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Forbidden Fruit and Veg

In 2020, Tracy started a new project. It is called Forbidden Fruit and Veg. This is an organic market garden. It grows food without chemicals. The garden is located at her estate in Badminton.

The head grower and trainees at the garden are all part of WWOOF. WWOOF is a program where people volunteer on organic farms. These volunteers live at her home. Tracy also publishes a monthly newsletter.