 His father was Sir Francis Mackenzie, 5th Baronet and 12th laird of Gairloch.The Mackenzies were a clan from the Northwest Highlands that had risen to prominence in the 15th century during the disintegration of the Lordship of the Isles.Mackenzie’s ancestor, Hector Roy Mackenzie, had acquired the lands of Gairloch towards the end of the 15th century.