George Dominic Percy, Earl Percy (born 4 May 1984), is a British businessman and the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the Dukedom of Northumberland.

Early life

Percy was born as the second child and elder son of Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland and his wife, the former Jane Richard. He is a younger brother of Lady Katie Percy and an older brother of Lady Melissa Percy and Lord Max Percy. He became

to the dukedom in October 1995, when his uncle Henry, 11th Duke of Northumberland, died. Percy's parents, now Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, were eager to protect him from "vices and pitfalls", and they filed a lawsuit to prevent him from inheriting £1 million and a £350,000 annual income upon turning 18. In 1999, they succeeded in delaying the inheritance, which Percy received at the age of 25. Percy is also set to inherit

Alnwick Castle Alnwick Castle () is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman Conquest and renovated an ...

Education and career

At the age of 12, Percy served as a page of honour to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

at the 1996

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...

. Percy 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 ...

, then studied geography at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, specialising in

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

and

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

. He graduated in 2007, having shared a house with Pippa Middleton, with whom he was subsequently linked. Percy studied

Arabic language Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

at the

University of Damascus A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, and later worked on development projects in the Middle East, including

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. He is the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Hotspur Geothermal (formerly Cluff Geothermal), a British

geothermal energy Geothermal energy is thermal energy extracted from the crust (geology), crust. It combines energy from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay. Geothermal energy has been exploited as a source of heat and/or electric power for m ...

company, where Paul Younger (d. 2018) was the Technical Director. As old family friends, Percy and his family attended the wedding of Pippa Middleton's sister,

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, and

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his pat ...

, in 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Percy, George Percy, Earl 1984 births Living people People educated at Eton College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh

George Percy George Percy may refer to: *George Percy (governor) (1580–1632), English explorer, author, and early colonial governor of Virginia. * George Percy, Earl Percy (born 1984), British businessman and heir apparent to the Dukedom of Northumberland *Ge ...

Courtesy earls