Viscount Astor father in 1966. He is one of the ninety-two elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, and sits as a Conservative. John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever, was the second 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, the Hon. Michael Astor and the Hon. Jakie Astor, younger sons of the
Guy Hever surmised that he had gone AWOL and had subsequently committed suicide, citing his upcoming courtmartial and a history of previous clashes with commanding officers. Both the military and the police searched for him, including with divers, dogs, robots and aircraft, but no trace of his body or weapon was ever found. They refused to classify Hever as a missing soldier for three years. His mother however was convinced from the beginning that her son was kidnapped by Syrian forces, although the Syrian government consistently ignored overtures from former US president Jimmy Carter, former Israeli and Syrian US ambassador Edward Djerejian