Duchess quits England because nation 'doesn’t feel like it used to’

The Duchess Dowager of Bedford has become a Kiwi (Image: Getty)

The Dowager Duchess of Bedford has quit Britain and taken citizenship in New Zealand, according to reports. Henrietta Russell, Duchess of Bedford, 84, also said swearing allegiance to King Charles was a "rather pleasant" experience.

She told The New Zealand Herald: "I am absolutely thrilled to become a New Zealander. I fell in love with New Zealand when I was 11. I was 51 when I eventually arrived here."

The aristocrat added: "It feels like England used to. England doesn't feel like it used to when I was a child."

Henrietta continued: "I didn't realise I was going to have to pay allegiance to King Charles. I have never had to pay allegiance and that was such a lovely feeling as well and made me feel unity."

The Dowager Duchess of Bedford was born Henrietta Tiarks in 1940 (Image: Getty)

Henrietta married Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford, in 1961 (Image: Getty)

The Dowager Duchess was born Henrietta Tiarks in London in March 1940 to merchant banker, Henry Tiarks III and the actress, Joan Barry.

She is a granddaughter of the banker Frank Cyril Tiarks, to whom Princess Anne's ex-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, is related.

The widow of Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford, she lived at Woburn Abbey and was known as the Marchioness of Tavistock before he succeeded to the dukedom in October 2002.

The couple married in 1961 and went on to have three sons: Andrew, 15th Duke of Bedford, Lord Robin Loel Hastings and Lord James Herbrand.

Henrietta owns properties in the UK and New Zealand, including homes in Arrowtown, Tekapo, Matamata and Te Aroha, according to The New Zealand Herald.

The Dowager Duchess of Bedford is now a New Zealander (Image: Getty)

A well-known figure in New Zealand's horse breeding industry, she arrived in New Zealand in 1991, buying a farm three years later, the same publication reports.

She has made a number of TV appearances, including on Juke Box Jury, Call My Bluff and Crufts. She has also featured as a castaway on the BBC's Desert Island Discs.

The Duchess Dowager said it had been a privilege to live at Woburn Abbey for three decades, adding it was "tough work" to manage the estate and she knew when it was the right time to hand over the reins to her eldest son.

She explained that was the time when she knew she wanted to spend more time in New Zealand.