 Bridport was commissioned into the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1831 and achieved the rank of captain in 1836, lieutenant colonel in 1847, colonel in 1854, major general in 1862, lieutenant general in 1871 and general in 1877.Bridport was also a Groom-in-Waiting from 1841 to 1858, Clerk Marshal to Prince Albert from 1853 to 1861, Equerry to Queen Victoria from 1858 to 1884, a Permanent Lord-in-waiting to Queen Victoria from 1884 to 1901 and Honorary Equerry to Edward VII from 1901 to 1904 and served as a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset, Devon and Somerset.Bridport was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1885 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1891.