Tristan Garel-Jones was born on 28 February 1941 in Gorseinon, Wales, UK. He was married to Catalina Garrigues Carnicer. He died on 23 March 2020 in the UK.
Whip of the Conservative party during the Thatcher years, he was made Lord in 1997. He may have been one of the models for Francis Urquhart in House of Cards. He was fluent in Spanish, having been an English teacher in Madrid.