Arthur Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington

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Brigadier Sir Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, KG, LVO, OBE, MC, DL, (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.

Contents 1 Career 2 Honours 3 Honorary Appointments 4 Business & commerce 5 Marriage 5.1 Reference 6 External link

[edit] 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.

[edit] Honours

• 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)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Business & commerce

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

[edit] Marriage

He was twice engaged to Lady Rose McLaren, the daughter of the Marquess of Anglesey; she was something of a free spirit and felt him to be rather too conventional for her tastes and so on 28 January 1944, he married Diana McConnel at St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem. They have five children:

• Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (b. 19 August 1945)
• Lord Richard Gerald Wellesley (b. 20 June 1949), married Joanna Marion Sumner and had issue.
• Lady Caroline Jane Wellesley (b. 6 July 1951)
• Lord John Henry Wellesley (b. 20 April 1954), married Corinne Vaes and had issue.
• Lord James Christopher Douglas Wellesley (b. 16 December 1964), married Laura Elizabeth Wedge and had issue.

[edit] Reference

• The Peerage website

[edit] External link

• 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's)

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gerald Wellesley	Duke of Wellington 1972–Present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Order of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by His Grace The Duke of Leinster	His Grace the Duke of Wellington United Kingdom Order of Precedence Gentlemen	Succeeded by His Grace The Duke of Sutherland