William Waldort Astor III (The Rt. Hon.)
4th Viscount Astor (born 27 December 1951) is an English businessman and politician who sits as a Conservative hereditary Lord Temporal in the House of Lords. He is a member of the Astor family, which is known for its prominence in business, society, and politics in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Astor was a Lord-in-waiting (a House of Lords whip) from 1990 to 1993. He was then made a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security. In 1994, he moved to the Department of National Heritage where he served until leaving the government in 1995. He was a member of the Founding Council of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford. Viscount Astor is Chairman of Silvergate Media and director of Networkers Plc (since 2007) and trustee of Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham.
Spouse: Annabel Jones
Children: Hon Flora Katherine Astor, Hon William Waldorf Astor IV and Hon James Jacob Astor.
Parents: William Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor, Sarah Norton.