Bernard Arthur William Patrick Hastings Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard, (17 September 1874 – 10 September 1948), styled Viscount Forbes from 1874 to 1889, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Liberal politician. Background Granard was the son of George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard, and Mary Frances Petre, daughter of William Petre, 12th Baron Petre. At age 14, he succeeded as eighth Earl of Granard on the death of his father in 1889. Political career Upon reaching maturity in 1895 Granard was able to take his seat in the House of Lords under his junior title Baron Granard, which was in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. When the Liberals came to power in 1905 under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Granard was appointed a Lord-in-waiting to Edward VII (government whip in the House of Lords) and Assistant Postmaster-General, posts he held until 1907 and 1909 respectively. In 1907 he was admitted to the Privy Council and appointed Master of the Horse, an office he retained until 1915. Granard was also involved in Irish politics. He was a member of the Irish Food Convention, Food Controller for Ireland in 1918, in which year he was also admitted to the Irish Privy Council. He was a member of the short-lived Senate of Southern Ireland in 1921 and of the Senate of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1934. He was again Master of the Horse between February 1924 and 1936, but by this time this post had ceased being a political office. Granard also served as Vice-Admiral of Connaught, Lord Lieutenant of Longford. Orders He was made a Knight's of several orders in different countries: Order of St Patrick in 1909. Legion of Honour in France. Order of Charles III in Spain. Order of the Polar Star in Sweden. Order of the Dannebrog in Denmark. Military Order of Christ in Portugal. Order of the White Eagle in Serbia. Order of Civil Merit in Spain. Order of the Redeemer in Greece. He was also working as assistant Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, Lord-in-waiting and Masters of the horse to King Edward VII between 1905 and 1910, and to King George V. Military In 1896, Granard was commissioned into the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, but on 29 November 1899 he transferred to a regular commission as a second lieutenant in the Scots Guards. Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in late