Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington

Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington, 9th Prince of Waterloo, 9th Duke of Victoria, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, OBE, DL (born 19 August 1945), styled Earl of Mornington between 1945 and 1972 and Marquess of Douro between 1972 and 2014, is a British aristocrat and politician. He served as Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Surrey (1979–1984) and Surrey West (1984–1989) and sits as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords.


The Duke of Wellington

OBE DL
Wellington as the Chairman of the Council of King's College London at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in 2009.
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
16 September 2015
Hereditary Peerage
Preceded byThe 3rd Lord Luke
Member of the European Parliament
for Surrey West
In office
1984–1989
Preceded byConstituency created
Succeeded byTom Spencer
Member of the European Parliament
for Surrey
In office
1979–1984
Preceded byConstituency created
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born
Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley

(1945-08-19) 19 August 1945
Princess Christian Nursing Home, Windsor, Berkshire, England
Spouse(s)
(m. 1977)
ChildrenArthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
Lady Honor Montagu
Lady Mary Wellesley
Lady Charlotte Wellesley
Lord Frederick Wellesley
ParentsValerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington
Diana McConnel
Alma materEton College
Christ Church, Oxford

Early life

Wellington was born in 1945 at Princess Christian Nursing Home, Windsor, Berkshire, the eldest son of Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, and the former Diana McConnel. He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford.[1]

Politics

Wellington stood as Conservative candidate for Islington North in 1974, finishing in second place. 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 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.[2] On 4 September 2019, he quit the Conservative Party, and now sits as a "non-affiliated" member of the House of Lords.[3]

Charity

Wellington has worked for a number of non-profit or charitable organisations. He was a patron of British Art at the Tate Gallery (1987–90), a member of the Royal College of Art between (1992–97), Chair of British-Spanish Tertulias (1993–98) 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.

Business career

  • Deputy Chairman of Thames Valley Broadcasting Ltd between 1975 and 1984.
  • Director of Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia Ltd between 1977 and 1980.
  • Councillor for Basingstoke Borough Council between 1978 and 1979.
  • Director of Eucalyptus Pulp Mills Ltd between 1979 and 1988.
  • Director of Transatlantic Holdings plc between 1983 and 1996.
  • Director of Global Asset Management Worldwide Inc between 1984 and 1999.
  • Deputy Chairman of Deltec Panamerica SA between 1985 and 1989.
  • Chairman of Deltec Securities (UK) Ltd between 1986 and 1989.
  • Director of Continental and Industrial Trust plc between 1987 and 1990.
  • Deputy Chairman of Guinness Mahon Holdings Ltd between 1988 and 1991.
  • Director of Sun Life Corp Ltd between 1988 and 1996.
  • Director of Rothmans International Ltd between 1990 and 1993.
  • Chairman of Dunhill Holdings Ltd between 1991 and 1993.
  • Deputy Chairman of Vendôme Luxury Group plc between 1993 and 1999.
  • Chairman of Framlington Group Ltd between 1994 and 1999.
  • Chairman of Sun Life & Provincial Holdings plc in 1996.
  • Director of Pernod Ricard S.A.

Wellington was an Independent Member of the Board of Directors of Sanofi S.A. since May 2002. He is also a Member of the Company Nominating, Governance and Strategy Committees.

Marriage

He married Princess Antonia of Prussia on 3 February 1977 at St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, London.

They have five children:

Titles and styles

Apart from his British titles, the Duke of Wellington also holds the hereditary titles of 9th Prince of Waterloo (Prins van Waterloo) of both the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium, and 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 the Marquess of Douro) made a formal claim to the title with the Spanish Ministry of Justice.[7] King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession to the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo to Wellington in May 2010.[8]

References

Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
The Duke of Leinster
Gentlemen
The Duke of Wellington
Succeeded by
The Duke of Sutherland
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Valerian Wellesley
Duke of Wellington
2014–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by
Valerian Wellesley
Earl of Mornington
2014–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Dutch nobility
Preceded by
Valerian Wellesley
Prince of Waterloo
2014–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Spanish nobility
Preceded by
Valerian Wellesley
Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
2010–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Portuguese nobility
Preceded by
Valerian Wellesley
Duke of Victoria
2014–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Academic offices
Preceded by
The Baroness Rawlings
Chairman of King's College London
2007–2016
Succeeded by
The Lord Geidt
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