George Pickering was born in Essex and educated at Haileybury College.

After serving in the Royal Horse Artillery in Germany, he set up, at the age of twenty-three, a sales and marketing business focussing on hotel groups in both the UK and Europe which is still operating.

Married, with a son, three daughters and four grandchildren his interests were family history, classical wines, first editions, castles, battlefields, Grand Prix racing and the theatre.