William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel, (born 3 October 1947), styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a British hereditary peer who was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

peer from 15 May 1973 until October 2006 when, on his appointment as

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...

of the Royal Household, he became a

crossbench A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...

(non-party) member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

Background and education

Lord Peel is the eldest son of

Arthur Peel, 2nd Earl Peel Arthur William Ashton Peel, 2nd Earl Peel (29 May 1901 – 22 September 1969), styled Viscount Clanfield from 1929 to 1937, was a British peer. Peel was the son of William Peel, 1st Earl Peel, by the Honourable Eleanor "Ella" Williamson, daughte ...

, and Kathleen McGrath, daughter of Michael McGrath. He is a great-great-grandson of Prime Minister

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

. He attended

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

, and then went on to the

University of Tours The University of Tours (french: Université de Tours), formerly François Rabelais University of Tours (french: Université François Rabelais), is a public university in Tours, France. Founded in 1969, the university was formerly named after th ...

in France and the

Royal Agricultural University ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = public university, Public , president = Charles III, King Charles , vice_chancellor = P ...

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

Career

Lord Peel was a member of the Prince's Council, part of the

Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...

, from 1993 to 2006, and

Lord Warden of the Stannaries The Lord Warden of the Stannaries (from la, stannum for Tin, Sn) used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, England, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, h ...

from 1994 to 2006. He was a member of the

Nature Conservancy Council The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 (it did not cover Northern ...

, with

English Nature English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006. It was a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Environmen ...

, from 1991 to 1996. He was Chairman of the Game Conservancy Trust from 1994 to 2000, then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

from 2000 to 2008, and was President of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust from 1989 to 1996. Lord Peel was also on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Committee for six years and became a Deputy Lieutenant of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

in 1998. Lord Peel was elected as one of the 42 Conservative hereditary peers who were to remain in the House of Lords after the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

came into force, he placed 14th in the election with 142 votes. Since July 2006 he has sat as a

Crossbench A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...

member. In June 2006, it was announced that Lord Peel would succeed Lord Luce as

. On 11 October 2006, he kissed hands with

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

upon his appointment and was invested as a

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(GCVO), and became Chancellor of the Order. On 14 November 2006, Lord Peel was sworn in as a Member of the Privy Council. In February 2021, Lord Parker of Minsmere was appointed to succeed Lord Peel as Lord Chamberlain. Peel was due to retire at the end of 2020 but extended his notice period as his successor was searched for amid the pandemic. He retired on 31 March. On 13 April 2021, Lord Peel returned his Wand and Insignia of Office as Lord Chamberlain and the Badge of Chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order on leaving office. At the same time he was invested with the

Royal Victorian Chain The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it ...

Family

Lord Peel married (1) Veronica Naomi Livingston Timpson (born 21 January 1950) and had 2 children. Their marriage was dissolved in 1987. * Ashton Robert Gerard Peel, Viscount Clanfield (born 16 September 1976). He married Matilda Rose Aykroyd (born 15 March 1978) in 2004. She is the third daughter and fourth (and youngest) child of second lieutenant of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

David Peter Aykroyd (born 6 June 1937) and his wife Lydia Huldine Beamish (18 January 1939 – 9 July 2004). Lord and Lady Clanfield have three daughters, Isla, Willa and Florence, and one son, Nicholas. * Lady Iona Joy Julia Peel (born 18 September 1978). She married Robert Alexander Edward Bowen on 14 May 2005. They have two sons, Max and Charlie, and a daughter, Amelia. Lord Peel married (2) The Honourable Charlotte Clementine Soames (born 18 July 1954), daughter of Lord Soames and his wife,

Mary Churchill Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, (; 15 September 1922 31 May 2014) was an English author. The youngest of the five children of Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, she worked for public organisations including the Red Cross and the Women's ...

, daughter of

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

, on 15 April 1989 and had 1 child. * Lady Antonia Mary Catherine Peel (born 1991). She has been engaged since 2021 to Hubert Morant.

Honours

Commonwealth honours

* He has also received the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establish ...

for 20 years of service to the Royal Family.

Arms

References

External links

The Lord Chamberlain
- Royal Household official website
Appointment of Lord Peel as Lord ChamberlainDodOnline Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peel, William Peel, 3rd Earl 1947 births Living people Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University Deputy Lieutenants of North Yorkshire Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Ampleforth College

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

English businesspeople Crossbench hereditary peers Viscounts Peel Peel baronets