John Jacob "Johnny" Astor VIII, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, (born 16 June 1946), is an English businessman and politician from the

Astor family The Astor family achieved prominence in business sector, business, Socialite, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With Germans, German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to th ...

. He sat in 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 ...

as 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 ...

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 ...

from 1986 to his retirement in 2022. Astor was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence from 2010 to 2015. Astor is a Deputy Lieutenant of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

Family background

Astor was born 16 June 1946. He is the eldest of the five children of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever, and Lady Irene Haig. Astor succeeded to the peerage after his father died from cancer in June 1984. His younger siblings are Bridget, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Philip. His maternal grandfather was Field Marshal

Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until t ...

Education and military career

Astor 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 ...

before serving with the Life Guards (the senior regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry) from 1966 until 1970, where he visited

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, Hong Kong, and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

as well as ceremonial duties in London. He worked in France for 11 years, and is now patron of the Conservatives in Paris.

Political career

In 1994, Lord Astor was a British Parliamentary Observer in Johannesburg during the South African General Election. He was a member of the Executive, Association of Conservative Peers from 1996 to 1998. In 1999 he was elected to continue as a member of the

. Astor retired from the House of Lords on 22 July 2022. From 1998 to 2001, he served as an Opposition Spokesman on Social Security and Health from 1998 to 2003. From 2001, he has been an Opposition Spokesman for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, and International Development, from 2003 to 2010, Opposition Spokesman for Defense, and from 2010 to 2011 a

Lord in Waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

. From 2010 to 2015 he was parliamentary under-secretary of state at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. He is currently the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Oman and Defence Secretary's Adviser for Military Co-operation with the Sultanate of Oman. He is former Hon. Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council. In 1995 he piloted through the House of Lords the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act and in 1996 the Trading Schemes Act.

Marriages and children

Astor married firstly Fiona Diana Lennox-Harvey, a daughter of Capt. Roger Harvey, on 1 July 1970. They had three daughters together:Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition, 2 volumes.'' Crans, Switzerland:

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999. p. 308. *Camilla Fiona Astor (born 8 May 1974), she married Dominic M. Trusted and they have one daughter: **Raya Trusted (born March 2008) *Tania Jentie Astor (born 18 April 1978) *Violet Magdalene Astor (born 1980) They were divorced in 1990 and in the same year Astor married Elizabeth Constance Mackintosh, younger daughter of John Mackintosh, 2nd Viscount Mackintosh of Halifax. They have two children: *Charles Gavin John Astor (born 10 November 1990), who married Princess Eliane Marie Ghislain de Merode in June 2017. Their first daughter, Astrid, was born in September 2020. Their second daughter, Lilyrose, was born in March 2023. *Olivia Alexandra Elizabeth Astor (born 21 August 1992)

Arms

Notes

References

External links

*
Lord Astor
on the Conservative Party's website

Honorary Member of the Lions Club Walldorf-Astoria (Germany) {{DEFAULTSORT:Astor of Hever, John Astor, 3rd Baron 1946 births Living people People educated at Eton College British Life Guards officers English people of American descent English people of German descent English people of Irish descent English people of Scottish descent Livingston family

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

3 Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Deputy lieutenants of Kent People from Westerham Politicians from Kent Businesspeople from Kent Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999 Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014