William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel (born 3 October 1947), styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a British
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 ...
who was a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
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 Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...
of the
Royal Household, he became 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. ...
(non-partisan) 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 ...
.
Background and education
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, daugh ...
, and Kathleen McGrath, daughter of Michael McGrath. He is a great-great-grandson of Prime Minister
Sir Robert Peel. He attended
Ampleforth College, and then went on to the
University of Tours
The University of Tours (), formerly François Rabelais University of Tours (), is a public university in Tours, France. Founded in 1969, the university was formerly named after the French writer François Rabelais. It is the largest university ...
in France and the
Royal Agricultural University
The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a public university in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world.
...
,
Cirencester
Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...
.
Career
Peel was a member of the Prince's Council, part of the
Duchy of Cornwall
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...
, from 1993 to 2006, and
Lord Warden of the Stannaries
The Lord Warden of the Stannaries (from for Tin, Tin, Sn) used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, England, UK, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the British monarchy, monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the ...
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 Executive agency, United Kingdom government agency that promoted the Conservation (ethic), conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006. It was a non-departmental public body ...
, 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:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
from 2000 to 2008, and was
President of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust from 1989 to 1996. Peel was also on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Committee for six years and became a Deputy Lieutenant of
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
in 1998. 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 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.
In June 2006, it was announced that Peel would succeed
Richard Luce, Baron Luce, as
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...
. On 11 October 2006, he
kissed hands with
The Queen upon his appointment and was invested as a
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (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,
Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, was appointed to succeed 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
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. He retired on 31 March.
On 13 April 2021, 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 State decoration, 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 Or ...
.
Family
Peel married Veronica Naomi Livingston Timpson (born 21 January 1950) and had two children: Ashton and Iona. The marriage was dissolved in 1987.
Peel married a second time to Charlotte Clementine Soames (born 18 July 1954), daughter of
Christopher Soames, Baron Soames, and his wife,
Mary Churchill, daughter of
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
, on 15 April 1989. They had one daughter, Lady Antonia Peel, in 1991.
Honours
Arms
Notes
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
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 masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
English businesspeople
Crossbench hereditary peers
Viscounts Peel
Peel baronets
Permanent Lords-in-Waiting
Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999