Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton, (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a

British Conservative Party The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...

politician and

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

who served as

Defence Secretary A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...

from 1970 to 1974,

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

from 1979 to 1982, Chairman of the

General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...

from 1983 to 1984, and Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988. In

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

's first government, he played a major role in negotiating the Lancaster House Agreement that ended the racial conflict in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

and enabled the creation of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

. Carrington was Foreign Secretary in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. He took full responsibility for the failure to foresee this and resigned. As

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

secretary general, he helped prevent a war between Greece and Turkey during the 1987 Aegean crisis. Following the House of Lords Act 1999, which removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

, Carrington was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as Baron Carington of Upton.

Background and early life

The surname "Carrington" (with two r's) was adopted by royal licence dated 1839 by his direct male ancestor Robert Carrington, 2nd Baron Carrington, in lieu of Smith. The latter's father, Robert Smith, MP for Nottingham, was created Baron Carrington in 1796 (Peerage of Ireland) and 1797 (Peerage of Great Britain). The spelling of the surname was changed by royal licence to "Carington" (with one r) in 1880 by the 2nd Baron's sons, but the spelling of the title did not change. Born in Chelsea on 6 June 1919, Peter Alexander Rupert Carington was the only son of the 5th Baron Carrington by his wife, the Hon. Sybil Marion Colville, a daughter of Charles Colville, 2nd Viscount Colville of Culross. He was a great-nephew of the Liberal statesman

Charles Wynn-Carington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire Charles Robert Wynn-Carington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire, (16 May 1843 – 13 June 1928), known as the Lord Carrington from 1868 to 1895, and as the Earl Carrington from 1895 to 1912, was a British Liberal politician and aristocrat. He was Gov ...

, and also of politician and courtier the Hon. Sir William Carington. Brought up at Millaton House in Bridestowe, Devon, he was educated at two independent schools: Sandroyd School from 1928 to 1932, based at the time in the town of

Cobham, Surrey Cobham () is a large village in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, centred south-west of London and northeast of Guildford on the River Mole. It has a commercial/services High Street, a significant number of primary and private ...

(now the site of Reed's School), and

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

. Upon leaving Eton, his housemaster, Cyril Butterwick, said of him, "For a really stupid boy, there are three possible professions: farming, soldiering and stockbroking".

Military service

Having trained at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

, Carrington was commissioned into the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

on 26 January 1939. He served with the regiment during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 1 January 1941, and later temporary

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and acting

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

. Captain Lord Carrington played a key role as a tank commander during

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

in the Netherlands in 1944; he led the first group of four Sherman tanks to reach the other side of the Nijmegen railway bridge across the

Waal River The Waal (Dutch name, ) is the main distributary branch of the river Rhine flowing approximately through the Netherlands. It is the major waterway connecting the port of Rotterdam to Germany. Before it reaches Rotterdam, it joins with the Afg ...

. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

(MC) on 1 March 1945 "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe". After the war, Carrington remained in the army until 1949.

Political career 1946–1982

In 1938, Carrington succeeded his father as 6th Baron Carrington. Although he became eligible to take his seat in the

on his 21st birthday in 1940, he was on active service at the time, and did not do so until 9 October 1945. After leaving the Army, he became involved in politics and served in the Conservative governments of

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 ...

and

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achieving rapid promo ...

as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Food from November 1951 to October 1954. During the Crichel Down affair, which led to the resignation of Minister Thomas Dugdale, Carrington tendered his resignation, which was refused by the Prime Minister. Carrington then became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence from October 1954 to October 1956. The latter year he was appointed High Commissioner to Australia, a post he held until October 1959. He was also appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

on 2 July 1951. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1959. After his return to Britain he served under

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Caricatured as " Supermac", ...

as First Lord of the Admiralty until October 1963. These were the years of the Royal Navy's Indian summer, and Carrington completed his education in high level defence, largely playing a secondary role, with former CNS Lord Mountbatten, 'Burma' to even other Sea Lords, as the last Royal CDS achieving the restoration of the Royal Navy to equal status with the Army and RAF, and securing major ship orders with guided missile destroyers replacing cruisers, and a large new nuclear submarine and Leander frigate building programme and interim retention of a large carrier programme. Carrington found Mountbatten impossibly vain and unrealistic in his pretensions, but thought that aircraft carriers and an amphibious task force allowing flexible intervention, and crucially easier withdrawal, than land forces, a better idea than the RAF 'island-hopping' alternative, believing that the Island bases would probably all have declared independence by 1975. The unrealistic nature of Mountbatten's large CVA01 carrier programme and Harold Macmillan's replacement as Prime Minister by

Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), styled as Lord Dunglass between 1918 and 1951 and being The 14th Earl of Home from 1951 till 1963, was a British Conservative politician who s ...

, saw Carrington settle for

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...

and Leader of the House of Lords under Douglas-Home until October 1964, when the Conservatives fell from power. From 1964 to 1970 he was

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the

. When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970 under Edward Heath, Carrington became

, where he remained until 1974 when the Conservatives were voted out in favour of

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

's Labour. In a 1977 letter discussing the policy of torture of

Irish republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The developm ...

internees during Operation Demetrius in August 1971, the then Home Secretary Merlyn Rees attributed the origins of the policy in particular to Carrington: '"It is my view (confirmed by Brian Faulkner before his death I's prime minister at the time that the decision to use methods of torture in Northern Ireland in 1971/72 was taken by ministers – in particular Lord Carrington, then secretary of state for defence." Carrington had become Shadow Defence Secretary in 1968 after Enoch Powell was dismissed from the position following his controversial Rivers of Blood speech on immigration. He also served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1972 to 1974, and was briefly Secretary of State for Energy from January to March 1974. Peter Carington and Alexander Haig

Carrington was again Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords from 1974 to 1979. In 1979 he was made

and

Minister for Overseas Development The minister of state for development and Africa, formerly the minister of state for development and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The of ...

as part of the first Cabinet of

. Thatcher spoke very highly of Carrington, stating that "Peter had great panache and the ability to identify immediately the main points in any argument; and he could express himself in pungent terms. We had disagreements, but there were never any hard feelings." Carrington chaired the Lancaster House conference in 1979, attended by Ian Smith, Abel Muzorewa, Robert Mugabe,

Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (19 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and Matabeleland politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's ...

and Josiah Tongogara, which brought to an end

's Bush War. He later expressed his support for Mugabe over Smith. Carrington was Foreign Secretary when Argentina

invaded An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

on 2 April 1982. He resigned from the position on 5 April, taking full responsibility for the complacency of the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

in its failure to foresee this development and for the misleading signals sent by the Foreign Office on British intentions for retaining control over the Falklands. In her autobiography, Margaret Thatcher was later to express her sorrow at his departure. She had asked him to stay but he left because he and the Foreign Office were distrusted and even hated by many back-bench Conservatives, and in turn he despised the party for its pettiness. Since his resignation, no other member of the

has held any of the four Great Offices of State.

Later life and death

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F068478-0034, Bonn, NATO Generalsekretär bei Minister Genscher

Lord Carrington then served as Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988. He was also appointed Chancellor of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

on 1 August 1984, serving until June 1994. In 1991, he presided over diplomatic talks about the

breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

and attempted to pass a plan that would end the wars and result in each republic becoming an independent nation. Apart from his political posts, he was the Chancellor of the University of Reading and served as chairman of several companies, including

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...

, and as a director of many others, including

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

, Cadbury Schweppes and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

''. He also chaired the

Bilderberg conference The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defi ...

s from 1990 to 1998, being succeeded in 1999 by Étienne Davignon. From 1983 to 2002, he was president of the

Pilgrims Society The Pilgrims Society, founded on 16 July 1902 by Sir Harry Brittain KBE CMG, is a British-American society established, in the words of American diplomat Joseph Choate, 'to promote good-will, good-fellowship, and everlasting peace between the Uni ...

, and from 1971 to 2018 the President of the

Britain–Australia Society The Britain–Australia Society was established in 1971 as a friendship society to promote historic links between the United Kingdom and Australia. It has headquarters in the Australia Centre within Australia House in London and branches througho ...

. He was appointed

Chancellor of the Order of the Garter The Chancellor of the Order of the Garter is an officer of the Order of the Garter. History of the office When the Order of the Garter was founded in 1348 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, by Edward III of England three officers were initial ...

on 8 November 1994, a role from which he retired in October 2012. After the House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the

, Carrington, along with all former leaders of the House of Lords, was given a

age on 17 November 1999 as Baron Carington of Upton, of Upton in the County of Nottinghamshire. He was the longest-serving member of the House of Lords, and following the retirement of Lord Barber of Tewkesbury in 2016, had been the oldest. He was the second longest-serving member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

after the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not prod ...

. He died on 9 July 2018, aged 99, of natural causes at his home in Bledlow, Buckinghamshire; his son

Rupert Rupert may refer to: People * Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert" Places Canada * Rupert, Quebec, a village *Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay *Rupert River, Quebec *Rupert ...

succeeded him as 7th Baron Carrington. A memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey on 31 January 2019.

Family

Lord Carrington married Iona McClean (19 March 1920 – 7 June 2009), daughter of Lt Col. Sir Francis McClean and Aileen Wale, on 25 April 1942. They had three children: Alexandra de Bunsen (born 1943), Virginia Carington (born 1946; formerly married to Lord Ashcombe), and

Rupert Carington, 7th Baron Carrington Rupert Francis John Carington, 7th Baron Carrington, (born 2 December 1948), is a British banker and crossbench member of the House of Lords. Lord Carrington serves as Lord Great Chamberlain of England since the accession of Charles III in ...

(born 1948). Lord Carrington's wife, Lady Carrington, died on 7 June 2009, aged 89.

In popular culture

Carrington was a guest on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

's long-running programme '' Desert Island Discs'' in 1975 and on the same station's ''

A Good Read ''A Good Read'' is one of BBC Radio 4's longest-running programmes; in it two guests join the main presenter to choose and discuss their favourite books. Sue MacGregor stepped down in 2010 as the programme's then-longest-serving presenter (seven y ...

'' in 2004. In the 1977 war film ''A Bridge Too Far'',

John Stride John Edward Stride (11 July 1936 – 20 April 2018) was an English actor best known for his television work in the 1970s. Stride was born in London, the son of Margaret (née Prescott) and Alfred Teneriffe Stride. He attended Alleyn's School, ...

played a Grenadier Guards captain at Nijmegen Bridge based on Carrington. This portrayal depicts the historical argument between Carrington and Major

Julian Cook Colonel Julian Aaron Cook (October 7, 1916 – June 19, 1990) was an officer of the United States Army who gained fame during World War II for his crossing of the Waal river during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Biography Cook w ...

on whether to move forward along the " Hell's Highway" route. In February 1982 Carrington was portrayed by

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–20 ...

in a '' Not the Nine O'Clock News'' parody of '' Question Time'', pedantically discussing an imminent nuclear holocaust. Carrington was portrayed by James Fox in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's '' The Falklands Play''. He was also briefly portrayed by James Smith in the 2011 film '' The Iron Lady'', and by Jeff Rawle in the 2014 play ''

Handbagged ''Handbagged'' is a play by the British playwright Moira Buffini, examining the relationship between Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister from 1979 to 1990. Background ''Handbagged'' originated ...

''.

Honours

*1945:

*1958: Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG) *1959: Lord of

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of e ...

*1983: Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) *1985: Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG); Chancellor of the Order (1994–2012) *1988: Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG); Chancellor of the Order (1984–1994) *1999:

Life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

age, as Baron Carington of Upton * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III *1988:

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

* Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service * Freedom of the City of London

Honorary degrees

*1981:

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

( LL.D.) *1983: University of Essex ( DUniv) *December 1989: University of Reading ( D.Litt.) *1986:

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

( LL.D.) *1993:

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

( LL.D.) *14 December 1998:

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

( DCL) *21 November 2003:

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

( DCL)

Arms

Bibliography

*''Reflect on Things Past – The Memoirs of Lord Carrington''. Published by William Collins, 1988.

References

External links

*

House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 17 November 1999
Lord Carrington's views on the EU from the Daily Telegraph

Thatcher's First Cabinet

Imperial War Museum Interview

Lord Carrington obituary , Politics , The GuardianThe Papers of Lord Carrington
held at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrington, Peter Carington, 6th Baron 1919 births 2018 deaths 20th-century memoirists Peter British Army personnel of World War II British Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs British people of the Falklands War Chairmen of the Conservative Party (UK) Chairmen of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group Chancellors of the Order of the Garter Chancellors of the University of Reading Carrington Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Conservative Party (UK) life peers Deputy Lieutenants of Buckinghamshire Diplomatic peers First Lords of the Admiralty Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grenadier Guards officers High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Australia Leaders of the House of Lords Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group Military personnel from London Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957 Ministers in the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments, 1957–1964 Ministers in the third Churchill government, 1951–1955 People educated at Eton College People educated at Sandroyd School People from Buckinghamshire Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Secretaries General of NATO Secretaries of State for Defence (UK) Peter Life peers created by Elizabeth II