THE Earl of March has spoken publicly for the first time about the violent robbery he and his wife endured at their stately home.

Lord and Lady March were attacked and tied up during the raid at Goodwood House near Chichester in January this year.

The robber hit Lord March over the head and forced Lady March to open a safe before stealing more than £700,000 worth of jewellery and leaving the pair tied up so they were unable to raise the alarm.

Lord March told a national newspaper how they cannot sell up and move on despite the ordeal as it is their home.

He said: “I was knocked out but I was in and out of consciousness. We were completely aware of what was going on. It wasn’t a great way to start the year.

“Having someone come into your house is…Well, you never think these things are going to happen and then, when they do, all other things start to become possible. And that’s not very reassuring.

“Obviously we’re reviewing our security. The security around the ring itself was as good as could have been. It was just the circumstances.

“There was nothing we could do. He certainly had a reasonable idea of what he was doing.”

The break-in happened in the early hours of the morning when the burglar used a ladder to get into the building through an upstairs window.

After the ordeal they were eventually discovered by a member of staff clocking in for work.

More than 40 items were taken in all, including an 1820 diamond tiara worth £400,000, an antique diamond necklace from the first half of the 19th century and an emerald intaglio and diamond ring engraved with the Duchess’s coronet and the monogram CL for Louise de Kerouaille, mistress of Charles 11.

"The most disappointing thing for me is the loss of that beautiful ring that Charles II gave Louise de Kerouaille Lord March, 61, said .

"That ring had been here for 300 years."

Other items taken in the raid included antique Rolex and Girard Perregaux watches and wide variety of emerald, diamond and sapphire rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.