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 Golf Rose where she led from the start to take the Goldene Peitsche by two lengths from the Haydock Sprint Cup winner Lavinia Fontana. Hever Golf Rose's next two races took her to France. At Chantilly she was sent off the 11/10 favourite for the Prix de Seine-et-Oise in which she raced prominently and held off the late challenge of Tereshkova to win by a neck. Joe Naughton called her "an amazing filly" after the win, while the press commented on her "remarkable" season. After four races in twenty-five days, Hever Golf Rose was given a "break" of three weeks before her