Lord Willis Kemeny, 9th Earl of Howell, was a Manticoran peer of the realm and a very highly placed member of the Crown Loyalist party.
He was a member of the Havenite sponsored cabal that engineered the assassination of King Roger III. After their connection to Haven was discovered by one of them who turned the rest in to Palace Security, Queen Elizabeth III required (meaning, compelled) him to retire, renouncing his title in favor of his daughter and heir, Maralise, thus removing him from politics and from the House of Lords. (HHA2.3: QG)