I met the Duke of Westminster in the early 1990s at Eaton Hall in Cheshire to discuss an Open Space documentary he was to present for BBC2.
He had commissioned and paid for a far-ranging and valuable inquiry into rural poverty, an issue that was close to his heart.
He knew that some would take a cynical view of his motives, but he also knew his name would help draw attention to the acute problems of farmers living at the other end of the social scale. Despite the possible ridicule, he took the chance and his film was very worthwhile in raising awareness of the plight of those struggling to make a living in the countryside.
