| Viscountcy of Astor | |
|---|---|
 _Arms.svg) Arms of Viscount Astor:Or, a falcon resting on a dexter hand couped at the wrist proper and gauntleted gules in chief two fleurs-de-lys of the last[1] | |
| Creation date | 28 June 1917[2] |
| Created by | King George V |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | William Waldorf Astor, 1st Baron Astor |
| Present holder | William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor |
| Heir apparent | The Hon. William Astor |
| Remainder to | Heirs male of the first viscount's body, lawfully begotten |
| Subsidiary titles | Baron Astor |
| Seat(s) | Ginge Manor |
| Former seat(s) | Hever Castle Cliveden |
| Motto | Ad Astra ("To the stars")[3] |
Viscount Astor, ofHever Castle in the County of Kent, is a title in thePeerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in1917 for the financier and statesmanWilliam Waldorf Astor, 1st Baron Astor. He had already been createdBaron Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent, in 1916, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[4]
His eldest sonWaldorf, the second Viscount, was the husband ofNancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, the first woman to sit in theHouse of Commons. As of 2017[update], the titles are held by their grandson, the fourth Viscount, who succeeded his father in 1966. He is one of the ninety-two electedhereditary peers that remain in theHouse of Lords after the passing of theHouse of Lords Act 1999, and sits as aConservative.
John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, was the third son of the first Viscount. This peerage,Baron Astor of Hever, was a separate creation in 1956 and not to be confused with the Viscount's subsidiary title of Baron Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent. The Hon.David Astor CH, the Hon.Michael Astor and the Hon. SirJakie Astor, younger sons of the second Viscount, all gained prominence in public life.
The family seat isGinge Manor, nearWantage,Oxfordshire.
The first three Viscounts Astor are buried within the Astor family chapel (also known as theOctagon Temple) at theCliveden estate nearTaplow,Buckinghamshire.[5]
Theheir apparent is the present holder's eldest son, the Hon. William Waldorf Astor (born 1979).
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son, William Waldorf Astor (born 2012).
William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848-1919)Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879-1952)William Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor (1907-1966)William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor (b. 1951)
John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever (1886-1971)Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever (1918-1984)John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever (b. 1946)
