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,, , styled Earl of Mornington between 1945 and 1972 and Marquess of Douro between 1972 and 2014, is a British aristocrat and politician. He has served as Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for Surrey and Surrey West and has sat as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords since 2015.

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.

Politics

Wellington stood as Conservative candidate for Islington North in 1974, finishing in second place. He was a member of Basingstoke Borough Council from 1978–79. He subsequently served as Conservative MEP for Surrey from 1979–84, and as Conservative MEP Surrey West from 1984–89.
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. On 4 September 2019, he quit the Conservative Party, and now sits as a "non-affiliated" member of the House of Lords.

Charity

Wellington has worked for a number of non-profit or charitable organisations. He was a patron of British Art at the Tate Gallery, a member of the Royal College of Art between, Chair of British-Spanish Tertulias. 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

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:
He has inherited the Dutch, Belgian, Spanish noble titles and among old-order reminiscers in Portugal with his dukedom one of the Portuguese unofficial titles is enjoyed.
Apart from his British titles, the Duke of Wellington also holds the hereditary titles of 9th Prince of Waterloo of both the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium, and Duke of Victoria of the Kingdom of Portugal with its subsidiary titles Marquis of Torres Vedras and Count of Vimeiro. These were granted to the first Duke as victory titles for his distinguished services as victorious commanding general in the Peninsular War, and at the Battle of Waterloo.
Wellington is also the 10th Duke of 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 made a formal claim to the title with the Spanish Ministry of Justice. King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession to the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo to Wellington on May 2010.