Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington
The Duke of Wellington | |
|---|---|
 Wellington in 2015 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Life peerage 1 June 2026 | |
| Elected Hereditary Peer 17 September 2015 – 29 April 2026 | |
| 2015 | |
| Preceded by | The 3rd Baron Luke |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Member of the European Parliament for Surrey West Surrey (1979–1984) | |
| In office 1979–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Tom Spencer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley 19 August 1945 |
| Party | Crossbencher (since 2020) Conservative (until 2019) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, including Lady Mary Wellesley Lady Charlotte Santo Domingo |
| Parent(s) | Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington Diana McConnel |
| Education | Eton College |
| Christ Church, Oxford | |
Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington, Baron Wellington of Stratfield Saye (born 19 August 1945), styled Earl of Mornington between 1945 and 1972 and Marquess of Douro between 1972 and 2014, is a British peer and politician. He served as Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Surrey (1979–1984) and Surrey West (1984–1989).
Wellington sat as an excepted hereditary peer in the House of Lords from 2015 to 2026, when the coming into force of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 excluded him from the chamber. Following a brief hiatus, on 1 June 2026 he was created Baron Wellington of Stratfield Saye, a life peerage that enabled his return to the House of Lords.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley was born on 19 August 1945 at H.R.H. Princess Christian Hospital in Windsor, Berkshire, the first son of Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington and Diana McConnel. He grew up in London and at Stratfield Saye House, his family's estate in Hampshire, and was educated at Ludgrove School, Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford.[2][3]
Politics
[edit]Wellington stood as Conservative Party candidate for Islington North in 1974, losing to Labour's incumbent Michael O'Halloran. He was a member of Basingstoke Borough Council from 1978 to 1979. He subsequently served as Conservative MEP for Surrey from 1979 to 1984, and as Conservative MEP for Surrey West from 1984 to 1989.
In September 2015, he was elected to a seat in the House of Lords as a Conservative in a by-election following the retirement of Lord Luke.[4] On 4 September 2019, he quit the Conservative Party. He sat as a "non-affiliated" member of the House of Lords from September 2019 to September 2020. Since September 2020 he has sat as a crossbench peer.[5]
In 2021, he put forward an amendment to the Environment Bill to attempt to reduce pollution from the dumping of sewage in rivers. The initial amendment was rejected by MPs, which led to a backlash on social media. The Environment Secretary George Eustice proposed making measures a legal duty, but Wellington put forward the amendment again to attempt to ensure changes came into force.[6]
Courtier
[edit]He carried Queen Mary's Crown in the royal procession at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[7] With the Duchess, he was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot 2023.[8]
Wellington has a ground-floor apartment at Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner, the Westminster townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington.
Voluntary work
[edit]Wellington has worked for a number of non-profit or charitable organisations. He was a patron of British Art at the Tate Gallery, 1987–1990, a member of the Royal College of Art between 1992 and 1997, Chairman of British-Spanish Tertulias, 1993 to 1998, and Trustee of the Phoenix Trust from 1996 to 2001. He was appointed OBE in 1999 for services to British-Spanish business relations. He was appointed a Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire in 1999. In 2003 he was given a four-year appointment as a Commissioner for English Heritage.
On 1 October 2007, he became Chairman of the Governing Council of King's College London, an institution of which his wife Princess Antonia is an alumna, and of which his ancestor Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was instrumental in the foundation.
In February 2025, Wellington participated in the Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation, held at Audley House in Mayfair. He chaired the judging panel, which included representatives from the shooting and conservation sectors. The event, marking its 25th anniversary, was co-hosted by Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond, who presented the awards.[9]
Marriage
[edit]Charles married Princess Antonia of Prussia on 3 February 1977 at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, London. Notable guests at the wedding included Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III), Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.[10] The couple are friends of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.[11]
They have five children:
- Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (born 31 January 1978); was married (4 June 2005 – August 2020) to former model, now make-up artist Jemma Kidd (born 20 September 1974), fashion stylist and great-granddaughter of Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook; they have issue two sons and a daughter. In December 2022, he remarried to Hayley Whitehead and they share a son.[12]
- Lady Honor Victoria Wellesley (born 25 October 1979); married 3 July 2004 (as his second wife) the Honourable Orlando Montagu, younger son of John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, and had issue.
- Lady Mary Luise Wellesley (born 16 December 1986), a goddaughter of Diana, Princess of Wales.[13]
- Lady Charlotte Anne Wellesley (born 8 October 1990); who attended Oxford University reading archaeology and anthropology. Her day job is at photographer Mario Testino's studio in London, where she is a producer. On 15 July 2015, her engagement was announced to Colombian billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo, uncle of Tatiana Santo Domingo, wife of Andrea Casiraghi. They married in the duke's family estate Dehesa Baja in Spain, on 28 May 2016, after the ceremony at the sixteenth-century Church of the Incarnation in Illora, near Granada.[14][15]
- Lord Frederick Charles Wellesley (born 30 September 1992), a godson of King Charles III. He attended Eton College. Gained a commission into the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in December 2016. His engagement to Captain Katherine Lambert RE,[16] was announced on 25 February 2021.[17] They married on 31 July 2021.[18]
Titles and styles
[edit]Apart from his British titles, the Duke of Wellington also holds the hereditary titles of His Serene Highness 9th Prince of Waterloo ("Prins van Waterloo") of both the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium, and 9th Duke of Victoria ("Duque da Vitória") of the Kingdom of Portugal with its subsidiary titles Marquis of Torres Vedras ("Marquês de Torres Vedras") and Count of Vimeiro ("Conde de Vimeiro"). These were granted to the first Duke as victory titles for his distinguished services as victorious commanding general in the Peninsular War (in Spain and Portugal), and at the Battle of Waterloo (in what is now Belgium).
Wellington is also the 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ("Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo") of the Kingdom of Spain, which on 10 March 2010 was ceded to him by his father. In accordance with Spanish procedure, Wellington (then styled as Marquess of Douro) made a formal claim to the title with the Spanish Ministry of Justice.[19] King Juan Carlos I of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession to the dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo to Wellington in May 2010.[20]
On 13 May 2026, it was announced that a life peerage would be conferred on him as part of the 2026 political peerages. On 1 June 2026, he was created Baron Wellington of Stratfield Saye, of Stratfield Saye in the County of Hampshire and of Colmonell in the County of Ayrshire[21]. Later that same day he resumed his seat in the Lords.[22]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Political Peerages May 2026". GOV.UK. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ↑ Barber, Richard (2004). The Story of Ludgrove. Oxford: Guidon Publishing. p. 259. ISBN 0-9543617-2-5.
- ↑ ‘WELLINGTON’, Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017
- ↑ Conservative hereditary peers’by-election, September 2015:result
- ↑ "The Duke of Wellington". UK Parliament. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ↑ "New legal duty promised over sewage as Lords forces issue". BBC News. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ↑ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ↑ "Ascot Racecourse on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ Jureidini, Ben (7 February 2025). "Double Duke duty! The Duke of Richmond and the Duke of Wellington rule the roost at the Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation – but which of Britain's best shoots came out on top?". Tatler. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ↑ "British Nobility Turns Out for Traditional Blue-Blooded Wedding". The New York Times. 4 February 1977.
- ↑ "Among friends: Inside the new King and Queen Consort's inner circle". Tatler. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ↑ Bickerstaff, Isaac (17 February 2025). "A high society surprise! Arthur Mornington, the future Duke of Wellington, welcomed a baby with his wife Hayley Whitehead". Tatler. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ↑ Maung, Carole Aye (5 September 1997). "Our Auntie Diana". The Mirror. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ↑ "Behind-the-scenes at Lady Charlotte Wellesley and Alejandro Santo Domingo wedding". HELLO!. 31 May 2016.
- ↑ Odiamar, Danielle (29 May 2016). "Lady Charlotte Wellesley Marries Alejandro Santo Domingo Surrounded by Royal Guests". Harper's BAZAAR.
- ↑ "Capt F.C. Wellesley and Capt K.E. Lambert". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ De Penchenade, Gabriel (12 March 2021). "Coup de foudre dans les armées de Sa Majesté". Point de vue (in French).
- ↑ Bianchi, Martin (3 April 2021). "La aristocrática boda a la que está invitado el Rey Juan Carlos". ¡Hola! (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Anuncio de la Subsecretaría (División de Tramitación de Derechos de Gracia y otros Derechos), sobre solicitud de sucesión por cesión en el título de Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, con Grandeza de España". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ↑ "Orden JUS/1527/2010, de 21 de mayo, por la que se manda expedir, sin perjuicio de tercero de mejor derecho, Real Carta de Sucesión en el título de Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, con Grandeza de España, a favor de Lord Charles Wellesley". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ↑ "Notice 5146710". The London Gazette. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Oaths and Affirmations". Hansard. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Duke of Wellington's Regiment – West Riding
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1945 births
- Living people
- People educated at Eton College
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- People associated with King's College London
- Wellesley family
- Dukes of Wellington
- Princes of Waterloo
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Conservative Party (UK) MEPs
- Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire
- Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo
- MEPs for England 1979–1984
- MEPs for England 1984–1989
- Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers
- Crossbench hereditary peers
- Crossbench life peers
- Grandees of Spain
- Earls of Mornington
- People educated at Ludgrove School
- Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999
- Hereditary peers removed under the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026
- Life peers created by Charles III
- Children of peers and peeresses created life peers
