Charles Peregrine Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon''Burke's Peerage'', Baronetage & Knightage, 107th Edition, edited by Charles Mosley, Wilmington, Delaware, 2003, vol I, pp. 1121–6; (born 14 August 1975), styled as Lord Courtenay from 1998 until 2015, is an English

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

and

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

. He is a

crossbench A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...

member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, having been elected at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in 2018.

Education and career

Courtenay was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. After obtaining an MA degree from

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, in 1997, he followed his legal studies at the

Inns of Court School of Law The City Law School is a law school in London, England, and it is one of the six schools of City, University of London. The law school traces its origins to the Inns of Court School of Law (ICSL), which was founded in 1852. The ICSL became par ...

. Courtenay was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1999, and to the California State Bar in 2004.

Personal life

Courtenay married the American actress A. J. Langer in a civil ceremony in 2004. A formal wedding later took place on 30 April 2005, in Los Angeles. With his father's death in 2015, the then Lord Courtenay succeeded to his father's

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

and estate, becoming the 19th Earl of Devon. Devon and Langer have two children. Devon announced that he had filed for divorce in November 2023. In February 2024, Devon filed to dismiss the couple's divorce application “without prejudice” and remains separated from Langer. Devon practised law with the firm of

Latham & Watkins Latham & Watkins LLP is an American multinational law firm. Founded in 1934 in Los Angeles, California, Latham is the second-largest law firm in the world by revenue. As of 2022, Latham is also one of the most profitable law firms in the world ...

from 2005 to 2018, starting at their Los Angeles, California office. In January 2014, he permanently relocated his family to London and transferred to his firm's London office. In January 2019, he joined the Exeter firm Michelmores as a partner, where he is known as Charles Courtenay. He and his family now reside at the family's ancestral home of

Powderham Castle Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house in Exminster, Devon, south of Exeter and mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of Kenton, where the main public entrance gates are located. It is a Grade I listed building. The park and gar ...

in Devon, England. He owns a 3,500-acre estate.Born to rule? The hereditary peers about to lose their seats – podcast
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Arms

Ancestry

References

1975 births Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge English emigrants to the United States People educated at Eton College California lawyers Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon Crossbench hereditary peers Living people Members of the Inner Temple Earls of Devon (1553 creation) People associated with Latham & Watkins English barristers {{UK-law-bio-stub Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999