The Countess's husband held one of the oldest peerages in the United Kingdom, dating to before 1457, and was elected a Representative peer for Scotland, a position he held between 1906 and 1923. The Leslie family earldom was also one of the few which recognized the right of descent through female heirs. The Clan Leslie motto is "Grip Fast." Lord Rothes was a captain in the Fife Royal Garrison Artillery Militia, a lieutenant in the Royal Highland Regiment, known as the Black Watch, and a lieutenant-colonel in the Highland Cyclist Battalion.