The Admiral Alan William John West, Baron West of Spithead, of Seaview in the County of Isle of Wight.

The Home Office has given the aristocracy a concession on the names they have printed on their ID cards.

Whilst commoners will face a restraint on space if they have a long name, those with titles before and after their names will be allowed to print the full name.

The peer Earl Ferrers wrote to the Home Office minister Lord West calling for this safeguard to be put in place. Earl Ferrers was concerned that, although his real name is Robert Shirley, if he is asked his name he would naturally say Ferrers. If his card then said Shirley, it could cause confusion. The Home Office then decided to guarantee anyone with a title will get their full name printed.

As an example, Lord West's ID card would read: the Admiral Alan William John West, Baron West of Spithead, of Seaview in the County of Isle of Wight. However, any commoner who has a word like Baron, Lord or Prince in their name would have a clarification on the card, explaining they do not hold an official title.

The concession will not only apply to all members of the House of Lords but also their wives and families as well as holders of knighthoods and baronetcies and their wives, as well as dames.

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=10349