Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington

Wellington as Chairman of King's College London at the Royal Festival Hall in London, 2009.

Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington (born August 19, 1945 in Windsor ) is a British aristocrat and politician.

origin

He was born the son of Arthur Valerian Wellesley , then the Marquess of Douro and later the 8th Dukes of Wellington, the eldest son of the 7th Dukes of Wellington, and Ruth McConnel on August 19, 1945 in Windsor. From birth he was the eldest son of the heir to the title, earl of Mornington , which is one of the numerous subordinate titles of the Dukes of Wellington. After his father had inherited the Duketitel, he led as title heir ( Heir apparent ) the courtesy title Marquess of Douro . In 2010, with the approval of the Spanish Crown, he was also given the Spanish title of Duke (Duque) de Ciudad Rodrigo , which was hereditary to the 1st Duke of Wellington in 1812, and the dignity of Grand 1st Class conferred in 1815 .

Life

He attended Eton College and then studied at Christ Church College of Oxford University . After completing his studies, he worked in numerous important British and international companies, including from 1975 to 1984 as Vice-Chairman at Thames Valley Broadcasting, from 1985 to 1989 in the same function at Deltic Panamerica SA and from 1988 to 1991 at Guinness Mahon Holdings. At the same time he was director of the Antofagasta and Bolivia Company from 1977 to 1980 and of the Eucalyptus Pulp Mills from 1979 to 1988. Management activities followed from 1983 to 1995 at Transatlantic Holdings and from 1987 to 1990 at Continental and Industrial Trust. Further activities followed from 2002 at Sanofi , from 2003 to 2011 at Pernod-Ricard . Finally, he was Chairman of Deltic Securities Ltd. (from 1985 to 1989), Dunhill Holdings (from 1991 on), Sun Life Corp. (from 1995 to 2000) and with the Franlington Group (from 1994 to 2005).

Marriage and offspring

On February 3, 1977, he married Princess Antonia of Prussia, a daughter of Friedrich von Prussia (1911-1966) and Lady Brigid Guinness , in St. Paul's Church in London . He has five children with her:

• Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (born January 31, 1978); married (June 4, 2005) to former model Jemma Kidd, great-granddaughter of Lord Beaverbrook . They have twins and a younger son:
  • Lady Mae Madeleine (born January 4, 2010).
  • Arthur Darcy, Earl of Mornington (born January 4, 2010).
  • Lord Alfred (born December 10, 2014).
• Lady Honor Victoria Wellesley (born October 25, 1979); married to Orlando Montagu, younger son of John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich . You have two children:
  • Walter Montagu (born December 3, 2005).
  • Nancy Jemima Montagu (born January 2007).
• Lady Mary Luise Wellesley (born December 16, 1986).
• Lady Charlotte Anne Wellesley (born October 8, 1990)
• Lord Frederick Charles Wellesley (born September 30, 1992)

Political offices

He is a member of the Conservative Party. From 1978 to 1979 he was a member of the Basingstoke Borough Council for the Tories . He was then elected to the European Parliament in 1979, of which he remained a member until 1989. In 1999 he became Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire . On September 16, 2015, it was announced that Wellesley had won a by-election for one of the seats in the House of Lords due to the hereditary nobles. He succeeded Arthur Lawson-Johnston, 3rd Baron Luke , who voluntarily left the House of Lords on June 24, 2015.

Nobility title

He holds the following titles of nobility, all of which he inherited from his father on December 31, 2014, with the exception of the Spanish titles, which he inherited from his father on March 10, 2010:

British title

• 9. Duke of Wellington (1814, Peerage of the United Kingdom)
• 9. Marquess of Douro (1814, Peerage of the United Kingdom)
• 9. Marquess of Wellington (1812, Peerage of the United Kingdom)
• 13th Earl of Mornington (1760, Peerage of Ireland)
• 13. Viscount Wellesley (1760, Peerage of Ireland)
• 9. Viscount Wellington (1809, Peerage of the United Kingdom)
• 9. Baron Douro (1809, Peerage of the United Kingdom)
• 14. Baron Mornington (1746, Peerage of Ireland)

Dutch title

• 9. Prince of Waterloo (Prins van Waterloo) (1815)

Portuguese title

• 9th Duke of Vitória (Duque da Vitória) (1812)
• 9. Marquis of Torres Vedras (Marquês de Torres Vedras) (1812)
• 9. Count of Vimeiro (Conde de Vimeiro) (1811)

Spanish title

• 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo) (1812) and Grandee of Spain

Orders and decorations

He was inducted into the Order of the British Empire as an Officer (OBE) .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Genealogical Handbook of the Nobility, Volume Princely Houses III, page 499.
2. ^ Who is Who, 2014, Article Wellington, p. 2429
3. ↑ ^{a b} Who is Who, 2014, Article Douro, page 644.
4. ↑ His birth was reported on December 31, 2014 in the Daily Mail: "Jemma Kidd's husband becomes heir apparent to the Duke of Wellington after his grandfather dies six months before the 200th anniversary of Waterloo" December 31, 2014, retrieved January 1, 2015 . The date of birth was published in the Peerage News group on Google.
5. ↑ Carole Aye Maung: Our Auntie Diana . In: The Mirror , September 5, 1997. Retrieved June 15, 2013. 
6. ↑ Conservative hereditary peers' by-election, September 2015: result
7. ↑ BOE, March 30, 2010, Chapter V.
8. ↑ BOE, June 12, 2010. ( Memento of the original from March 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Web links

• Entry for Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington in the European Parliament 's database of deputies
• Duke of Wellington , entry at www.parliament.uk
• Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington on thepeerage.com , accessed September 10, 2016.