Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Charles Ponsonby, 7th Baron de Mauley, (born 30 June 1957), is a British hereditary peer, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and retired Territorial Army officer.

Background and education

Ponsonby was born to Col. Hon. Thomas Maurice Ponsonby, TD, JP, DL (1930–2001), of The Common, Little Faringdon,

Lechlade Lechlade () is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England, south of Birmingham and west of London. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable, although there is a right of navigation that contin ...

, late

Royal Wessex Yeomanry The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY) is a Reserve armoured regiment of the British Army Reserve consisting of five squadrons. Formerly part of 43 (Wessex) Brigade, the regiment joined 3rd (UK) Division in July 2014, to provide armoured (main battle ...

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

, and his wife Maxine Henrietta (née Thellusson, 1934–2020), daughter of William Dudley Keith Thellusson, of 39, Draycott Place, SW3, of the Brodsworth Hall branch of the family of the Barons Rendlesham. The 5th Baron de Mauley was his paternal grandfather. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, an independent school for boys near

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west ...

Military service

Ponsonby first joined the Territorial Army in 1976, when he was commissioned into the

as a second lieutenant. He was 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 ...

in 1978, major in 1988, and

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

in 2003. In 1988, he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration (Territorial) (TD). He retired in 2005. On 1 June 2011 he was appointed Colonel Commandant Yeomanry, and on 1 July 2015 he became Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.

Peerage

Lord de Mauley succeeded his uncle, the 6th Baron de Mauley, in October 2002. On 10 March 2005, he was declared the winner of a by-election for a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

hereditary peers' seat 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 Westminste ...

after the death of Hugh Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham. He was the first peer to have acceded to a title 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 ...

to have obtained an elective hereditaries' seat in the House.

Political career

He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2012 and 2015, after taking over from John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Holbeach, who went to the Home Office. He was previously a Government Lord-in-waiting (a position in the Royal Household given to Government Lords whips) and also served as a Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Families and Energy & Climate Change from 2008 to 2009, and then an opposition whip from 2009 to 2010. His selection in 2014 to lead UK fisheries talks in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

faced certain criticism, given his background as a hereditary peer with no prior experience in this field.

National Pollinator Strategy

In June 2013 de Mauley announced that his department would produce a National Pollinator Strategy. This followed the Bee Cause campaign led by Friends of the Earth and supported by well over 200 MPs for a bee action plan. Leading bee scientists set seven tests to help assess whether the plan is capable of helping pollinators.

Master of the Horse

In July 2018,

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

appointed Lord de Mauley to succeed Lord Vestey as

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

. His appointment took effect on 1 January 2019.

Family

Lord de Mauley is married to Lucinda (née Royle), younger daughter of Lord Fanshawe of Richmond. The heir to the title is his younger brother, the Hon. (Ashley) George Ponsonby, who is married to the former Camilla Gordon-Lennox, ''née'' Pilkington.

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Rupert de Mauley, at Conservatives.com

Lord De Mauley, political biography
only partially available without subscription; photograph available without subscription. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mauley, Rupert Ponsonby, 7th Baron 1957 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act People educated at Eton College Rupert Ponsonby, 7th Baron de Mauley Royal Wessex Yeomanry officers Rupert