William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel

William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel, GCVO, PC, DL (born 3 October 1947), styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, was a Conservative Peer from 15 May 1973 until October 2006 when, on his appointment as Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, became a cross bench (non-party) member of the House of Lords.

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 College, Cirencester.

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 1994–2006. 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. He is an elected hereditary crossbench member of the House of Lords.

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 (GCVO), and became Chancellor of the Order. On 14 November 2006, Lord Peel was sworn in as a Member of the Privy Council.

Lord Peel married Veronica Naomi Livingston Timpson (born 21 January 1950). They had two children, Ashton Robert Gerard Peel, Viscount Clanfield (born 16 September 1976), and Lady Iona Joy Julia Peel (born 18 September 1978). The marriage was dissolved in 1987.

He married, secondly, the Honourable Charlotte Clementine Soames (born 18 July 1954), 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 (born 1991).

Lord Peel's son, Lord Clanfield, married Matilda Rose Aykroyd (born 15 March 1978) in 2004. Matilda is the third daughter and fourth (and youngest) child of second lieutenant of the Coldstream Guards David Peter Aykroyd (born 6 June 1937) and his wife Lydia Huldine Beamish (18 January 1939 – 9 July 2004). Lord and Lady Clanfield have three daughters and one son. Lord Peel's daughter by his first wife, Lady Iona Peel, married Robert Alexander Edward Bowen on 14 May 2005.

• Viscount Clanfield (1947–1969)
• The Rt Hon. The Earl Peel (1969–1998)
• The Rt Hon. The Earl Peel DL (1998–2006)
• The Rt Hon. The Earl Peel GCVO DL (2006)
• The Rt Hon. The Earl Peel GCVO PC DL (2006–)