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British aristocrat

Charles Francis Topham de Vere Beauclerk (born 22 February 1965), also styled Earl of Burford by courtesy, is a British aristocrat and heir to the peerage title of Duke of St Albans. Beauclerk first came to public attention when he attempted to interfere with a debate in the House of Lords, declaring a Bill which would exclude hereditary peers from the House to be treasonable. A writer and exponent of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, after the House of Lords Act 1999, he refuses to be known by his courtesy title, believing it to be worthless insofar as most hereditary peers were removed from parliament (albeit 90 may still be elected to sit in the House of Lords).

Lord Burford is the eldest son and heir apparent of Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans, and is descended from Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, the illegitimate son of Charles II and Nell Gwyn. He was educated at Eton College and Sherborne School before going up to Hertford College, Oxford.

Beauclerk first came to wide public attention during a debate on the House of Lords Act 1999 concerning the amendment of voting rights for hereditary peers. After listening to the debate while seated on the first step of the throne, as was his right as the eldest son of a peer, Beauclerk leapt to his feet, crossed the floor of the House, stood on the Woolsack (the Speaker's chair in the House of Lords) and declared the bill treason to the life and culture of Britain, insisting that hereditary peers should retain their right to sit and vote in the House. He said, "This bill, drafted in Brussels, is treason. What we are witnessing is the abolition of Britain Before us lies the wasteland No Queen, no culture, no sovereignty, no freedom. Stand up for your Queen and country and vote this bill down." His actions led to criticism from Labour Party MPs. Angela Smith said it was the "tantrum of a naughty child", adding that "While claiming to defend tradition, he clearly showed no respect for it; while decrying the will of the elected House to be 'treason', he showed no respect for democracy."

Through his father he is related to Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (hence the double surname), and has played a prominent role in promoting the Oxfordian theory that Oxford wrote the works of William Shakespeare. He also claims that Oxford was the real author of works attributed to other Elizabethan writers, including John Lyly, George Gascoigne and Thomas Watson. Beauclerk regularly lectures on Oxfordian subjects in the United States.

On 29 December 1994, at Manaton, Dartmoor, Beauclerk was married to Canadian actress and pop singer Louise Robey. From that marriage he has one son:
James Malcolm Aubrey Edward de Vere Beauclerk, Lord Vere (born 2 August 1995). Following their divorce in 2001, they shared custody of their son. Beauclerk married Sarah Davenport, who is an artist and designer, at Bestwood Lodge, Nottingham in June 2017. Charles Beauclerk is a Vice President of the Royal Stuart Society, of which his father, the 14th Duke of St Albans, is presently the Governor General (since 1989) and his grandfather, the 13th Duke, held this office between 1976 and 1988.