ðə sˈɛkənd sˈʌn ʌv mˈɛɹi ˈɛmɪlˌaɪn ˈiːdən dɹˈʌmənd, dˈɔːɾɚɹ ʌv dʒˈɛnɚɹəl hˈɛnɹi dɹˈʌmənd, ænd kˈɜːnəl ˈɛdwɚd hˈæɹɪs stˈiːl, stˈiːlmˈeɪtlənd wʌz ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd æt ɹˈʌɡbi ænd æt bˌælɪˈɑːl kˈɑːlɪdʒ, ˈɑːksfɚd, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌzɐ klˈæsɪkəl skˈɑːlɚ ænd ˈɛldən skˈɑːlɚɹ ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn.
The second son of Mary Emmeline Eden Drummond, daughter of General Henry Drummond, and Colonel Edward Harris Steel, Steel-Maitland was educated at Rugby and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a classical Scholar and Eldon Scholar in 1899.