William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel


William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel, , styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a British hereditary peer who was a Conservative peer from 15 May 1973 until October 2006 when, on his appointment as Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, he became a crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Background and education

Lord Peel is the eldest son of Arthur Peel, 2nd Earl Peel, 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 in France and the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester.

Career

Lord Peel was a member of the Prince's Council, part of the Duchy of Cornwall, from 1993 to 2006, and Lord Warden of the Stannaries from 1994 to 2006. He was a member of the Nature Conservancy Council, with English Nature, from 1991 to 1996. He was Chairman of the Game Conservancy Trust from 1994 to 2000, then President 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 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 came into force, he placed 14th in the election with 142 votes. Since July 2006 he has sat as a Crossbench member.
In June 2006 it was announced that Lord Peel would succeed Lord Luce as Lord Chamberlain. 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 , and became Chancellor of the Order. On 14 November 2006, Lord Peel was sworn in as a Member of the Privy Council.

Family

Lord Peel married Veronica Naomi Livingston Timpson. They had two children, Ashton Robert Gerard Peel, Viscount Clanfield, and Lady Iona Joy Julia Peel. The marriage was dissolved in 1987.
He married, secondly, the Honourable Charlotte Clementine Soames, daughter of Lord Soames and his wife, Mary Churchill, daughter of Sir Winston Churchill, on 15 April 1989. They have one daughter, Lady Antonia Mary Catherine Peel.
Lord Peel's son, Viscount Clanfield, married Matilda Rose Aykroyd in 2004. Matilda is the third daughter and fourth child of second lieutenant of the Coldstream Guards David Peter Aykroyd and his wife Lydia Huldine Beamish. Lord and Lady Clanfield have three daughters Isla, Willa and Florence and one son Nicholas.
Lord Peel's daughter by his first wife, Lady Iona Peel, married Robert Alexander Edward Bowen on 14 May 2005. They have two sons Max and Charlie, and a daughter Amelia.

Arms