His father was the eldest son, and heir apparent, of John Crichton, 4th Earl Erne, and Lady Florence Cole (a daughter of William Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen). His maternal grandparents were the former Hon. Katherine Cavendish (third daughter of the 2nd Baron Chesham) and Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, who was considered to be the richest man in Britain at this death. His paternal aunt, Lady Mabel Crichton, married his maternal uncle, Lord Hugh Grosvenor, and was the mother of Gerald and Robert, the 4th and 5th Dukes of Westminster.