Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury

[1] His father, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, was murdered in November 2004 by his third wife, Jamila M'Barek and her brother Mohammad.

[4] Wimborne St Giles in East Dorset is the home base and centre of business of the Ashley-Cooper family.

[5] Built in 1651, the family seat of St Giles House had fallen into disrepair as it had been unoccupied for approximately 60 years.

[11] In October 2023, after negative publicity stemming from a report revealing that Lough Neagh had experienced its worst-ever levels of harmful bacteria amid a long-term infestation of toxic algae,[12] Lord Shaftesbury stated in an interview with BBC Northern Ireland that while he was open to selling Lough Neagh to the Northern Ireland Assembly, he would "not give it away for free."

He stated in the interview that "the sale is one that's borne out of an understanding that my ownership has always been very divisive and quite political and I always get blamed for things that are completely outside of my control.

Their son, Anthony Francis Wolfgang Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley, born on 24 January 2011, is his father's heir apparent and the only person in the line of succession to the earldom.