Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
|---|---|
| In office 4 January 1972 – 11 November 1999 Hereditary Peerage | |
| Preceded by | The 7th Duke of Wellington |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Valerian Wellesley 2 July 1915 Rome, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 31 December 2014 (aged 99) Stratfield Saye House |
| Resting place | Stratfield Saye House |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Second World War
Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross |
He was a member of the House of Lords from 1972 until 1999, losing his seat by the House of Lords Act.
Background and education
Wellington was born in
At the time of Wellington's birth, his father Gerald was the third son of the 4th Duke of Wellington, with little prospect of succeeding to the family's estates and titles. Wellington was 28 when his first cousin Henry, the 6th Duke, was killed in action aged 31 while serving in Italy during the Second World War. Wellington's father then became the 7th Duke, and Wellington himself came to be known by the courtesy title Marquess of Douro. He was thus named between 1943 and 1972, when he became 8th Duke upon the death of his father.
Wellington attended Eton before going up to New College, Oxford.
Military career
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Wellington was commissioned a
in 1959 he became Silver Stick-in-Waiting and Lieutenant Colonel Commanding the Household Cavalry.[5] Promoted to colonel in 1960,[13] he commanded the 22nd Armoured Brigade (1960–1961), served as Commander, Royal Armoured Corps in the I(BR) Corps of the British Army of the Rhine, and became defence attaché to Spain in 1964.[5] He retired from the Army in 1968 and was granted the honorary rank of brigadier.[14]
Honorary appointments
Wellington was appointed the
]Later life and death
Wellington was involved in business as a Director of
Wellington died peacefully at his home, Stratfield Saye Estate, near Basingstoke, on New Year's Eve, 2014, six months before the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, and six months before his 100th birthday.[18][19][4]
Marriage and issue
Wellington was twice engaged to
- Princess Antonia of Prussia.
- Lord Richard Gerald Wellesley (20 June 1949); married Joanna Sumner on 14 July 1973. They have two daughters.
- Lady (Caroline) Jane Wellesley (6 July 1951)
- Lord John Henry Wellesley (20 April 1954); married Corinne Vaes, daughter of a Belgian diplomat, on 7 May 1977. They have two children. Father-in-law of singer James Blunt.
- Lord (James) Christopher Douglas Wellesley (16 December 1964); He married firstly Laura Wedge in 1994 and they had one daughter before they were divorced in 2005. Emma Nethercott became his second wife; they had three children including daughter, Skye, who died aged 15 from the complications of Rett syndrome and in whose name and memory the Skye Wellesley Foundation was established.[20] Christopher and Emma divorced in February 2015.
Titles and styles
- 2 July 1915 – 16 September 1943: Valerian Wellesley
- 16 September 1943 – 4 January 1972: Marquess of Douro
- 4 January 1972 – 31 December 2014: His Grace The Duke of Wellington
- (Spain): The Most Excellent The Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (4 January 1972 – 21 May 2010)
- (Belgium and the Netherlands): His Serene Highness The Prince of Waterloo (4 January 1972 – 31 December 2014)
He was the
Honours and decorations
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Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG) | April 1990 |
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Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) | 1952, as Member (Fourth Class); re-designated Lieutenant in 1984 |
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Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) | 1958 (Military Division) |
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Military Cross (MC) | 1941 |
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Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (OStJ) | |
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1939–1945 Star | |
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Africa Star | |
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Italy Star | |
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France and Germany Star | |
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Defence Medal | |
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War Medal 1939–1945 | |
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General Service Medal | with 'Cyprus' clasp and MID
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Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | 1953 |
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Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal | 1977 |
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Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal | 2002 |
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Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | 2012 |
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Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic | Spain |
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Officer of the Légion d'honneur |
France |
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Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing | Portugal ( dynastic order )
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On 26 December 1941, as Second Lieutenant Wellesley, Wellesley was awarded the Military Cross[6] "in recognition of distinguished services in the Middle East (including Egypt, East Africa, The Western Desert, The Sudan, Greece, Crete, Syria and Tobruk) during the period February, 1941, to July, 1941."[23]
Wellington was appointed a Member (Fourth Class) of the
In April 1990, he was further honoured by
Wellesley was elected a
See also
- Yorkshire Regiment
- Duke of Wellington's Regiment
- 76th Regiment of Foot
References
- ^ "No. 34328". The London Gazette. 2 October 1936. p. 6278.
- ^ "No. 34643". The London Gazette. 7 July 1939. p. 4666.
- ^ "No. 34809". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 March 1940. p. 1460.
- ^ a b "The Duke of Wellington – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 31 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Duke of Wellington". The Independent. 1 January 2015.
- ^ a b "No. 35396". The London Gazette. 26 December 1941. p. 7334.
- ^ a b "No. 37462". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 February 1946. p. 895.
- ^ "Household Cavalry Regiment at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 18 November 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "No. 37673". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 1946. p. 3927.
- ^ "No. 39306". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 August 1951. p. 4253.
- ^ "No. 40389". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 January 1955. p. 493.
- ^ "No. 41304". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 February 1958. p. 839.
- ^ "No. 42186". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 November 1960. p. 7543.
- ^ "No. 44513". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 January 1968. p. 1180.
- ^ "Duke of Wellington dies, aged 99". The Telegraph. 31 December 2014.
- ^ "No. 46553". The London Gazette. 24 April 1975. p. 5267.
- ^ "Search the Court Circular". 16 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon (31 December 2014). "Duke of Wellington dies, aged 99". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ^ Duke of Wellington's Regiment website, News article, Duke of Wellington Passed away this Morning, (31 December) Archived 31 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Skye Wellesley Foundation:About". Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "BOE, 30 de marzo de 2010, sección V." (PDF). Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ Reported officially in the Official State Gazette for 12 June 2010."BOE, 12 de junio de 2010". Boe.es. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ^ "No. 35396". The London Gazette. 26 December 1941. p. 7332.
- ^ "No. 39494". The London Gazette. 18 March 1952. pp. 1543–1544.
- ^ "No. 41304". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 February 1958. p. 839.
- ^ "No. 52120". The London Gazette. 24 April 1990. p. 8251.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Wellington
- The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot
- Debrett's People of Today
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