William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke

William Alexander Sidney Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, 15th Earl of Montgomery (born 18 May 1978), inherited the title in 2003 following the death of Henry Herbert, 17th Earl of Pembroke.

Estate

He ranked 583rd in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011, with an estimated wealth of £120m (as estimated April 2011), which includes the value of the furniture and art collection at Wilton House, recently estimated at £150m (halved for tax under the Times estimate), and the house and estate. The total is estimated after death duties.

Family

Lord Pembroke is the only son of the late 17th Earl by his first wife, the former Claire Rose Pelly (now married to Wyndham Murray-Threipland). He has three older sisters and three younger half-sisters (by his father's second marriage).

In April 2009, the Earl announced his engagement, which took place over the Easter weekend, to his long-time girlfriend Victoria A.C. Bullough (born circa 1985), younger daughter and youngest child of retail tycoon Michael Bullough owner of one of the few remaining independent stores in Scotland, and his wife Sandra, née Lee-Graham, a former model. Her brother John (Johnny) Bullough, Younger of Culcreuch, has been married since 1998 to Lady Georgina Dorothea Mary Murray (b. 10 Mar 1967), only daughter of the 8th and 7th Earl of Mansfield, DL. There is an older sister, Deborah.

Bullough has just completed a degree in interior architecture (Spatial Design and Architecture) at Chelsea College of Art and Design, and graduated with First Class honours. Victoria grew up in Huntingtower, Perth, and was educated at Glenalmond College, Perthshire. After leaving Chelsea College she traveled for five months and is currently on an interior design placement in London.

The couple were married at St Mary & St Nicholas' church in Wilton on 29 May 2010. The Earl had dated the Countess since 2005, and since 2007, they lived together in Wilton House, his family's country seat. Their first child, Lady Alexandra Eloise Ekaterina Herbert, was born at Salisbury District Hospital on Sunday 3rd April 2011.

Education and career

Lord Pembroke was educated at Bryanston, then at Leeds for two years where he did a foundation course in 3D design. He then pursued a course in industrial design at Sheffield Hallam University, being the first Herbert to graduate with a first (according to the Observer interview). He then worked with Sebastian Conran as an industrial designer, being forced to quit that job in October 2004 to assume the responsibilities of the house and estate at Wilton, a year after his father's premature death from cancer.

Heir presumptive

Since his father had no brothers, and his grandfather's brothers died unmarried, and other lines of descent from earlier earls have mostly petered out, the heir presumptive to the earldoms of Pembroke (created 1551 by Edward VI) and Montgomery (created for the brother of the 3rd Earl, who succeeded him as 4th Earl) is the 8th Earl of Carnarvon (born 10 November 1958), holding the earldom created 1793 for the first son of the second surviving son of the 8th Earl. Lord Carnarvon is an eighth cousin patrilineally of Lord Pembroke, is twice married, and has two legitimate sons, one from each marriage. There are some further heirs in the Carnarvon branch, descended from the 2nd Earl. If the present Earl dies without a male heir (a son or a grandson), the title of Baron Herbert of Lea (created 15 January 1861 for his ancestor Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, who died months later) will become extinct.

In a July 2005 interview with The Observer, Lord Pembroke spoke frankly of the responsibilities and difficulties in managing a historic home and estate. He wanted to increase the number of celebrity events, such as Madonna's birthday party, at Wilton House to increase revenues; opening the property to more tourists does not pay in the long run as it increases wear-and-tear on the house. He also spoke frankly on the need for him to marry and father a son to secure the succession (for the sake of his immediate family as well as the estate and house and all those who depend on it for a livelihood), and in fact, he was not aware at that time who was the current heir presumptive. .

Sources

Articles

• July/August 2009 issue: Apollo, The International Magazine for Collectors. Tradition with a Twist by Michael Hall, "The Earl of Pembroke was just 25 when he inherited responsibility for Wilton House in Wiltshire, its estate and art collections in 2003. To mark Apollo’s special issue on Wilton, he talks to Michael Hall about his plans for this great house. Portrait by Derry Moore. Official portrait of William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, ©2007 by American painter and portraitist, Adrian Gottlieb
• Interview with "William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, 15th Earl of Montgomery, 18th Baron Herbert of Cardiff, 15th Baron Herbert of Shrubland and 7th Baron Herbert of Lea."
• Lynn Barber."Heirs and graces: William Herbert lives in Britain's most beautiful stately house. He is 27 years old. He's worth £125 million, and he's short of just one thing - an heir. Lynn Barber meets the 18th earl of Pembroke" (Profile of the 18th Earl). The Observer Sunday 31 July 2005.
• Edward Lewine. "Lord of the Manor" (Profile of the 18th Earl), New York Times 19 November 2006. Includes photographs of the earl and interiors of Wilton House. Refers to his new girlfriend, with whom he was still involved as of 2007.

Genealogy

• The Peerage.com
  • 18th Earl of Pembroke
  • 8th Earl of Pembroke, common ancestor of all later earls of Pembroke and the earls of Carnarvon. The latter are descended from Maj.-Gen. Hon. William Herbert (d. 1757, father of
  • the 1st Earl of Carnarvon (1741-1811) (Wikipedia entry)
• Further heirs in Carnarvon E branch

Portraits

• Gallery of paintings by Adrian Gottlieb including Official Portrait of William Herbert, 18th Earl Pembroke (2007), and Intimate portrait of Miss Victoria Bullough commissioned by Lord William Herbert (2007).
• Official Portrait of William Herbert, 18th Earl Pembroke, 15th Earl Montgomery © 2007 By Adrian Gottlieb
• Tori, Portrait of Victoria Bullough ©2007 By Adrian Gottlieb

Peerage of England
Preceded by Henry Herbert	Earl of Pembroke 2003–present	Incumbent Heir: George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon