Richard was born the third and youngest child of Cornelius Blackburn and Edith Blackburn. Richard received the typical childhood of Noirian aristocracy; he was raised by a Noirian Nanny and received tutoring in English, French, and piano from a young age as well as attending Southbridge Pre-Prep School. At age 5 he progressed to Southbridge Prep School and then at age 11, Southbridge School. Outside of school, Richard partook in horse riding and dance lessons alongside piano.

During his time at Southbridge, Richard befriended Edward Shields and Adrian Willis. The three of them remained friends into adulthood with the addition of Stephan Dankworth.

Due to his father's excessive spending, Richard was left with very little upon his father's passing, forcing him to seek employment to support himself. Richard insisted upon occupying the slowly decaying Blackburn estate as he hoped to restore it to it's former glory. However, he eventually moved out into a small flat when the structure became uninhabitable.