Baron Astor of Hever of the ninety elected hereditary peers who remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the "House of Lords Act" of 1999, and he sits on the Conservative benches. As a male-line descendant of the first Viscount Astor, Lord Astor of Hever is also in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary title Baron Astor, of Hever Castle in the County of Kent. The Hon. John Astor, third son of the first Baron, served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1974. The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon. Charles Gavin John Astor
Hever Castle Astor. Geoffrey Boleyn's grandson, Thomas Boleyn, inherited the castle in 1505. He lived there with his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard and their children George, Mary and Anne (the future wife of Henry VIII). It is not known if Anne was born at Hever (the year of her birth is not certain), but she lived there until she was sent to the Netherlands in 1513 to receive an education at the court of the Archduchess Margaret. Henry VIII often used the nearby Bolebroke Castle to conduct his courtship with Anne. The property came into the possession of Henry VIII after the