Joseph Philip Sebastian Yorke, 10th Earl of Hardwicke (on 3 February 1971), styled Viscount Royston between 1973 and 1974, is a British peer.
Contents |
Yorke succeeded to the title at the age of three, on the death of his grandfather, Philip Yorke, 9th Earl of Hardwicke on 31 December 1974; his father, Philip Yorke, Viscount Royston, had died 1 January 1973. He took his seat in the Lords at age 22, making him the youngest member then sitting;[1] he was a member from 1993 to 1999, since he was not elected as a representative Peer under the House of Lords Act 1999.
In 1999 Yorke received a suspended two year prison sentence for supplying cocaine following a sting operation by the News of the World newspaper at the House of Lords. Journalists had posed as Arab Sheiks, with the jury noting the "extreme provocation" used in the incident.[2] Yorke was suspended by the Conservative Party following the revelations.[3]
Lord Hardwicke has a son, Philip Alexander Joseph Yorke, Viscount Royston, who is the heir apparent to the title.
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Philip Grantham Yorke |
Earl of Hardwicke 1974–present |
Incumbent |