He was the only child of George Capell, 7th Earl of Essex and, his first wife, Elenor Harriet Maria Harford (1860–1885).
[5] Death duties, a form of taxation introduced in 1894 by the Liberal Government, had placed an increasing financial burden on aristocracy and landed gentry, and was responsible for the breaking up of many large estates across Britain.
[6] His father's widow, Adele, was presented with a substantial tax bill and after six years, she decided to sell Cassiobury House and its contents.
Lord Essex was an accomplished amateur actor and appeared in his own home, Bodenham Manor, Herefordshire with a troupe of Pierrots.
[2] Lord Essex married, thirdly, on 10 December 1950 to Zara Mildred Carlson of Los Angeles, California who was with the U.S. Consular Staff at Melbourne.
When his son died without issue in 1981, the title became dormant for eight years until it was revived by a distant cousin, Robert Capell.