Tristan Garel-Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Garel-Jones PC
Minister of State for Europe
In office 14 July 1990 – 27 May 1993
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Francis Maude
Succeeded by	David Heathcoat-Amory
Deputy Chief Whip Treasurer of the Household
In office 25 July 1989 – 14 July 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	David Hunt
Succeeded by	Alastair Goodlad
Comptroller of the Household
In office 26 July 1988 – 25 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Robert Boscawen
Succeeded by	Alastair Goodlad
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
In office 16 October 1986 – 26 July 1988
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Robert Boscawen
Succeeded by	Michael Neubert
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 22 October 1997 – 24 March 2020 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Watford
In office 3 May 1979 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Raphael Tuck
Succeeded by	Claire Ward
Personal details
Born	William Armand Thomas Tristan Garel-Jones (1941-02-28)28 February 1941 Gorseinon, Wales
Died	24 March 2020 (aged 79) Candeleda, Spain
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Children	5

William Armand Thomas Tristan Garel-Jones, Baron Garel-Jones (born 28 February 1941 – died 23 March 2020) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Watford from 1979 to 1997. After that, he became a life peer in 1997. This means he was given a special title that allowed him to sit in the House of Lords for the rest of his life. He was also a member of the Privy Council (PC), a group of important advisors to the King or Queen.

After he was elected to Parliament, Garel-Jones held several roles. He worked as a "whip," which is someone who makes sure members of their political party vote in a certain way. He also served as a junior minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This office handles the UK's relationships with other countries.

His Early Life

William Garel-Jones was born in Gorseinon, Wales. His parents were Bernard Garel-Jones and Meriel Williams. When he was young, his family moved to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Later, when he was seven, they settled in Madrid, Spain.

He went to school at The King's School, Canterbury in the UK. While in Spain, his parents started successful language schools. Before he became a politician, William Garel-Jones worked as a merchant banker. This job involves helping businesses and governments with their money, like arranging loans or investments.

Becoming a Politician

William Garel-Jones first tried to become an MP in 1974 for a place called Caernarvon. However, he lost that election. He was successfully elected as the MP for Watford in the 1979 General Election.

Working as a Whip

Garel-Jones was known as a very good "whip." He was skilled at making sure members of his party voted for the laws that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wanted. Some people thought he was very strict and clever in his methods.

It is even said that he inspired a fictional character. This character was a clever and scheming whip named Francis Urquhart. He appeared in a book called House of Cards and a TV show based on it.

Views on Europe

William Garel-Jones strongly believed in being part of Europe. This view was called pro-European. He kept this belief even as the Conservative Party started to become more Eurosceptic. This means the party became less keen on being closely linked with Europe.

Because of his strong pro-European views, some people in his party who supported Thatcher more strictly were suspicious of him. They sometimes called him one of the "wets." This was a nickname for Conservative politicians who were seen as less strict or less supportive of Thatcher's policies.

In 1990, there was a challenge to Margaret Thatcher's leadership. Garel-Jones voted for her in the first round. But he said he would vote against her if the challenge went to a second round. He later voted for another politician named Douglas Hurd.

After he stopped being an MP in 1997, he was given a special title. He became Baron Garel-Jones, which is a life peerage. This title allowed him to be a member of the House of Lords for the rest of his life.

Other Interests

Garel-Jones was very interested in Spanish culture. This is called being a Hispanophile. He was a strong supporter of bullfighting and even worked as a bullfighting critic.

He also supported Humanists UK, which is an organization that promotes humanism. He was a vice chairman of a group in Parliament that supported humanist ideas. He was also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society. This group works for a society where religion and government are separate.

His Family Life

In 1966, William Garel-Jones married Catalina Garrigues Carnicer. She was the niece of a Spanish bullfighting critic. They had five children: four sons and one daughter. He passed away on 24 March 2020, at the age of 79. He was living in Candeleda, Spain, when he died.

See also

In Spanish: Tristan Garel-Jones para niños