Charles Stopford

Charles Albert Stopford III (born May 1962) is an American imposter who posed as the Earl of Buckingham and lived under the assumed name of Christopher Buckingham for over twenty years. The press dubbed him ‘the real Jackal’ due to his use of a method described in the novel The Day of the Jackal to assume the identity of a deceased infant.

Early life Charles Stopford, the eldest of nine children, was born in Orlando, Florida, to Charles and Barbara Stopford. He is of English ancestry. Family members described him as being fascinated with British culture and adept at mimicking an English accent.

After graduating high school in 1980, Stopford enlisted in the US Navy. Upon being discharged, he found employment at Walt Disney World in the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot, where he would speak with an English accent while entertaining visitors.

Christopher Buckingham In 1983 Stopford assumed the identity of Christopher Edward Buckingham, an infant who died eight months after birth. Using information obtained from London's archive of births, deaths and marriages, Stopford was able to procure a National Insurance number, a National Health Card and a passport under Buckingham's name.

As Buckingham, Stopford affected an upper-class British accent. He also claimed to have attended Harrow School and Cambridge University, and to be the owner of a manor house. Beginning in 1997, he adopted the title 'Earl of Buckingham', and claimed to have a seat in the House of Lords.

He met Jody Hussey, a 19 year old Canadian student, while in West Germany in 1984. They had two children, Lindsey and Edward, before divorcing in 1997.

Stopford lived in both England and Germany, where he rented an apartment in Hohentengen. Stopford refused to reveal his true identity and nationality, leading to tabloid speculation he could have been a fugitive or a former East German spy. On 11 October he pleaded guilty to making an untrue statement to obtain a passport. He was convicted of passport fraud and sentenced to 22 months in HM Prison Elmley.

Stopford was identified when his family recognized him from a photograph in a news story and contacted British authorities. His identity was confirmed by a fingerprint check. He was deported from the United Kingdom and returned to Florida in July 2006. and was featured in the BBC Three series Bizarre Crimes. Stopford's daughter wrote an article about her father, which was published in Cosmopolitan Magazine.