William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor

William Waldorf Astor III, born on December 27, 1951, is an English businessman and politician. He holds the title of the 4th Viscount Astor and is a member of the hereditary peers in the House of Lords, sitting as a Conservative Lord Temporal.

Astor is part of the Astor family, a historically prominent British family with significant social and political influence.

His political career includes serving as a Lord-in-waiting, which functions as a government whip in the House of Lords, from 1990 to 1993. Subsequently, he was appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, a role he held until 1994. Later, he served at the Department of National Heritage from 1994 until his departure from government in 1995.

In addition to his governmental roles, Astor was a founding member of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford and participated in its founding council.

In the business sector, Astor is a co-founder and former Chairman of Silvergate Media, which is now part of Sony Pictures Television Kids. He has been a director of Networkers Plc since 2007 and serves as a trustee of the Stanley Spencer Gallery located in Cookham.

His stance on public policy includes opposition to the HS2 high-speed rail project, which he was among the early opponents of.

Astor married Annabel Lucy Veronica Jones on January 14, 1976. Annabel was born in 1948 and is the daughter of Timothy Angus Jones and Patricia David Pandora Clifford. They have three children:

- Hon. Flora Katherine Astor, born June 7, 1976, who married Theo Rycroft and has three children.

- Hon. William Waldorf "Will" Astor IV, born January 18, 1979, married to Lohralee Stutz, with four children.

- Hon. James Jacob "Jake" Astor, born March 4, 1981, married to Victoria L. Hargreaves, with two children.

The heir apparent to the viscountcy is his elder son, William Waldorf Astor IV.

Annabel Astor's previous marriage was to Sir Reginald Sheffield, 8th Baronet. She is the stepmother of Samantha Cameron, who is married to former Prime Minister David Cameron.

William Waldorf Astor III’s family connections also include his step-grandfather Michael Langhorne Astor, who was his wife’s previous husband's father.

Information on his heraldic arms, official references, and external links related to his parliamentary contributions and voting record are maintained for detailed biographical and official purposes.