William Jennings Capell

Who is William Jennings Capell?

William Jennings "Bill" Capell, a retired grocery clerk from Yuba City, California, is the heir presumptive to the Earldom of Essex. He will be the 12th Earl if the current earl, Paul Capell, 11th Earl of Essex, dies without legitimate male issue. He had considered renouncing the earldom if it would require him to give up his United States citizenship. United States law requires only government officeholders without Congressional authorization and persons wishing to become naturalized citizens, however, to renounce titles of nobility. As Mr. Capell is in neither category, there would be no legal impediment to his use of the title as a U.S. citizen.

Like the sixth and later Earls of Essex, William Capell is descended from the younger son of the fourth Earl. His father Bladen Horace Capell claimed the title after the ninth Earl died in 1981, but Robert de Vere Capell eventually proved that his ancestor Algernon was older than Bladen's ancestor Adolphus and thus took his seat in the House of Lords in 1989.

In 2005, Capell made his first visit to England with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law. The visit was televised on the tabloid show Inside Edition.