Arthur Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington

Brigadier Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, KG, LVO, OBE, MC, DL, FKC (born 2 July 1915) is a British peer and a retired Brigadier in the British Army. He was born in Rome. From 1943 to 1972, when he succeeded his father, he was known as Marquess Douro, and he is currently styled His Grace The Duke of Wellington.

He attended Eton and New College, Oxford. At Eton College, he lived in The Hopgarden, a house on Common Lane, in a room which is now a bathroom. There is a plaque commemorating his boyhood there.

Career

He joined the British Army, serving in the Second World War with the Royal Horse Guards. He eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding that regiment in 1954. He then moved to the Household Cavalry Regiment, which he began commanding in 1959. He commanded the 22nd Armoured Brigade (1960-1961), served in the British Army of the Rhine, and became defence attaché to Spain in 1964; he retired from the Army in 1968 as a Brigadier. During his period of service, he received the Military Cross.

Honours and nobility titles

*Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter — (1990)
*Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire — (1975)
*Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
*Officer of the Legion of Honour
*Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael of the Wing of Portugal (Portugal)
*Member of the Order of Isabel La Catolica (Spain)
*8th Prince of Waterloo
*9th Duke of Rodrigo City

Honorary Appointments

* Deputy Colonel-in-Chief (to HRH The Duke of York) of the Yorkshire Regiment.
* Deputy Colonel (to HRH The Princess Royal) of The Blues and Royals.
* Honorary Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, Wessex Regiment.

Business and commerce

* Director of Massey Ferguson Holdings Ltd from (1967-1989.
* Director of Motor Iberica SA (Spain) from (1967-1999.

Marriage

As Valerian Wellesley, then a cousin of Henry Wellesley, 6th Duke of Wellington, he was twice engaged to Lady Rose McLaren, the daughter of the Marquess of Anglesey, who eventually married the younger son of another peer. However, on (28 January 1944), he married Diana Ruth McConnel, only daughter of Major General Douglas Fitzgerald McConnel of Knockdolian, Colmonell, Ayr, CB, CBE, etc, and wife, at St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem. They have five children:

*Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (b. 19 August 1945), married to the former Princess Antonia of Prussia and has issue, two sons and three daughters.
*Lord Richard Gerald Wellesley (b. 20 June 1949), married 1973 Joanna Marion Sumner, daughter of John Sumner of Marston St. Lawrence and wife, and has issue, two daughters, Davinia Chloe (b. 1977) and Natasha Doone (b. 1981).
*Lady Caroline Jane Wellesley (b. 6 July 1951) who is unmarried
*Lord John Henry Wellesley (b. 20 April 1954), married 1977 Corinne Vaes, daughter of Robert Vaes, a Belgian diplomat Ambassador of Belgium, and wife, and has issue, one son Hon. Gerald Valerian born in 1981 and one daughter Hon. Alexandrina Sofia born in 1983.
*Lord James Christopher Douglas Wellesley (b. 16 December 1964), married 1994 (divorced 2005) as her second husband, Laura Elizabeth Wedge, daughter of a property magnate, and has issue, 1 daughter, Eleanor (b. 1995). [Michael Rhodes. [http://groups.google.co.in/group/Peerage-News/browse_thread/thread/224b819fde2edc67/d280dd246ef304d7] . Retrieved 13 September 2007.] He is now married (as of 26 July 2005) to his daughter's former teacher Emma Nethercott. [ Paul Theroff. "Wellington". in "An Online Gotha." [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/wellington.html] . Retrieved 13 September 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.army.mod.uk/yorkshire_regiment/battalions/3_yorks/index.htm 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's)]
* [http://www.thepeerage.com The Peerage website]