Prince of Waterloo

Last updated

Prince of Waterloo
Prins van Waterloo
Prince de Waterloo
Wellesley wapen.svg
Arms of the Dukes of Wellington as Prince of Waterloo.
Creation date8 July 1815
Created by King William I
Peerage Dutch and Belgian nobility
First holder Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Present holder Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington
Heir apparent Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
Remainder tothe 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
MottoVirtutis Fortuna Comes

Prince of Waterloo (Dutch: Prins van Waterloo, French: Prince de Waterloo) is a title in the Dutch and Belgian nobility, held by the Duke of Wellington. The title was created by King William I of the Netherlands for Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington as a victory title in recognition of defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Duke of Wellington and all his descendants along the male line belong to Dutch and Belgian nobility, in which all the descendant dukes carry the title of "Prince of Waterloo" with the style "Serene Highness" (Dutch : Doorluchtigheid). The rest of his family retain the Dutch honorific Jonkheer or Jonkvrouw.

Contents

Estate of the prince

In addition to this title, the Dutch king also granted Wellington 1,050 hectares (2,600 acres) of land and a yearly endowment of 20,000 guilders. To this day the Dukes of Wellington retain the title Prince of Waterloo, [1] and enjoy an annual income of around £100,000 from the longstanding tenants occupying the land.

Owing to the establishment of the separate Kingdom of Belgium in 1831, the title (being Dutch) and the land (located in Belgium) became separated.[ vague ] After the Belgian independence the endowment was by the Treaty of London included in the public debt to be assumed by the new Kingdom of Belgium.

The land held by the Prince of Waterloo came under pressure from retired Belgian senator Jean-Emile Humblet in 2001. [2] In 1817, the government in what is now Belgium struck a deal to pay the duke £1,600 a year in return for the proceeds of sales of timber which the duke wanted to clear from the forested land. Until 1988, successive dukes enjoyed this annual payment, but the then Prince of Waterloo, Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, agreed to forgo the payment in exchange for outright ownership of 24 ha (60 acres) of the 1,050 ha (2,600 acres) to which he has rights. But some Belgian taxpayers, led by Humblet, claimed the deal did not reflect the value of the land and drew attention to the wider issues surrounding the original agreement, contending that Belgium was effectively coerced into accepting the terms of the original agreement, because it could not afford to offend Britain. [3] [4]

In 2009 a Member of Parliament from Vlaams Belang questioned the Minister of Finance, Didier Reynders about the grant. Reynders replied that this grant is part of the international obligations of Belgium under the Treaty of London and that he had no intention of reneging on the obligation, as all the Dukes have faithfully fulfilled their obligations. [5]

List of princes of Waterloo (1815–present)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Jonkheer Arthur Gerald Wellesley (b. 1978).

Family tree

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington</span> British field marshal and statesman (1769–1852)

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish military officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, serving twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is among the commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore Wars when Tipu Sultan was killed in the fourth war in 1799 and among those who ended the Napoleonic Wars in a victory when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo, Belgium</span> Municipality in French speaking Community, Belgium

Waterloo is a municipality in Wallonia, located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, which in 2011 had a population of 29,706 and an area of 21.03 km2 (8.12 sq mi). Waterloo lies a short distance south of Brussels, and immediately north-east of the larger town of Braine-l'Alleud. It is the site of the Battle of Waterloo, where the resurgent Napoleon was defeated for the final time in 1815. Waterloo lies immediately south of the official language border between Flanders and Wallonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan</span> British Arm officer and politician (1788–1855)

Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan,, known before 1852 as Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was a British Army officer. When a junior officer, he served in the Peninsular War and the Waterloo campaign, latterly as military secretary to the Duke of Wellington. He also took part in politics as Tory Member of Parliament for Truro, before becoming Master-General of the Ordnance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Wellington (title)</span> Title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Duke of Wellington is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name derived from Wellington in Somerset. The title was created in 1814 for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington, the Anglo-Irish military commander who is best known for leading the decisive victory with Field Marshal von Blücher over Napoleon's forces at Waterloo in Brabant. Wellesley later served twice as British prime minister. In historical texts, unqualified use of the title typically refers to the 1st Duke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apsley House</span> United Kingdom legislation

Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing towards the large traffic roundabout in the centre of which stands the Wellington Arch. It is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Mornington</span> Title in the peerage of Ireland

Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. On the death of the fifth earl in 1863, it passed to the Duke of Wellington; since that date, the title has generally been used by courtesy for the heir apparent to the heir apparent to the dukedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington</span> British peer and politician

Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington,, styled Lord Arthur Wellesley from 1884 to 1900, was a British peer and politician, and a member of the well-known Wellesley family. He joined the military and served in the Household Division. Upon his childless brother's death in 1900, he inherited the family title and estates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo</span> Dukedom of Spain

Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. It was conferred by King Ferdinand VII on the British General Arthur Wellesley, then 1st Viscount Wellington, later 1st Duke of Wellington, in 1812, after his important victory at the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo that same year, as a victory title. As all dukedoms but one in the peerage of Spain, it has Grandeeship attached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonian Forest</span> Forest at the south-eastern edge of Brussels, Belgium

The Sonian Forest or Sonian Wood is a 4,421-hectare (10,920-acre) forest at the south-eastern edge of Brussels, Belgium. It is connected to the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos, an urban public park which enters the city up to 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington</span> British peer and politician (born 1945)

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Victoria</span> Portuguese title of nobility

Duke of Victoria is a Portuguese title of nobility retained by the Duke of Wellington.

The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of battle at the Battle of Quatre Bras</span>

The following units and commanders fought in the Battle of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815 at Quatre Bras in the Belgian region of Wallonia. The numbers following each unit are the approximate strengths of that unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquess of Heusden</span>

Marquess of Heusden is a high-ranking Dutch title of nobility retained by the Earl of Clancarty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington</span> Senior British peer and a retired Brigadier in the British Army

Brigadier Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington,, styled Marquess of Douro between 1943 and 1972, was a senior British peer and a brigadier in the British Army. His main residence was Stratfield Saye House in Hampshire.

Lady Charlotte Anne Santo Domingo is an English socialite and photography producer. She is married to Colombian-American businessman Alejandro Santo Domingo.

Charlotte Sloane Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, formerly known as Lady Charlotte Wellesley, was the second wife of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington</span> Anglo-Irish aristocrat

Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington, was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat. She was the wife of the 1st Earl of Mornington and mother of the victor of the Battle of Waterloo, Field Marshal The 1st Duke of Wellington.

References

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.