Sir Marcus Worsley's retirement as Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire will mean the end of the road for his beloved green Bentley.

He bought the classy car in order to provide suitable transport for visiting members of the Royal family.

Sir Marcus chuckled when questioned about the Bentley's future and said: "I'm glad you asked that - after I have looked after her with such tenderness. She's getting to be an old lady, so I think she will be retiring too."

The Bentley became a familiar sight as Sir Marcus, resplendent in his official uniform, played the gracious host during royal visits.

He said: "When I retire, which is not, after all, until next March, I shall be more or less 74. I'm lucky enough to enjoy good health, but I thought 12 years was a good stint."

Sir Marcus, who lives at Hovingham Hall, near Malton, said he could have continued until the age of 75. But he decided to step down early and allow plenty of time to appoint a successor.

He stressed how much he enjoyed his work as the Queen's personal representative, but said: "It does take up a lot of time because North Yorkshire is an enormous county."

Sir Marcus, whose recreations including walking and reading, said he had no particular plans for his retirement.

"I'm quite aware that there are things I have not given enough time to. I think one is entitled to a little more leisure when one reaches one's mid-70s."

There is no question of Sir Marcus taking it easy between now and next March.

"We have got an extremely busy time ahead. It was announced earlier this week that the Queen is coming to Harrogate in December, and that's obviously going to mean a lot of preparation work."

The brother of the Duchess of Kent could have been born for the role of Lord Lieutenant.

His late father, the fourth baronet Sir William Worsley, captained Yorkshire at cricket and served in both World Wars, reaching the rank of colonel in the Green Howards.

Sir Marcus joined the famous regiment at the age of 18 in 1943 after completing his studies at Eton. He served in India and West Africa as a Lieutenant on secondment to the Royal West African Frontier Force.

In 1947, he resumed his studies at New College, Oxford, obtaining a BA Honours degree in Modern History.

Sir Marcus went on to work as a programme assistant with the BBC European Service before entering politics. He served as Conservative MP for Keighley between 1959 and 1964 and for Chelsea between 1966 and 1974.

He was a Church Commissioner from 1976 to 1984; president of the Royal Forestry Society of England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 1980-82; and deputy chairman of the National Trust between 1986 and 1992 having chaired the Yorkshire regional committee from 1969 to 1980.

Sir Marcus became a Justice of the Peace in 1957 and chaired the Malton magistrates' bench between 1983 and 1990.

The office of Lord Lieutenant, which he took up in 1987, dates back to Tudor times when it included responsibility for raising troops in times of war.

He maintained close links with the Territorial Army as Honorary Colonel of the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers from 1988 to 1993.

In addition to organising royal visits, Sir Marcus also presents awards such as the Queen's Police Medals and the Queen's Award for Industry.

He may have been signalling his intention to enjoy more free time when he announced his retirement as president of the York Early Music Foundation earlier this month.

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