Princess Antonia | |||||
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Duchess of Wellington (more) | |||||
Born | London, England | 28 April 1955||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | 5, including: Lady Mary Wellesley Lady Charlotte Wellesley | ||||
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House | Hohenzollern | ||||
Father | Prince Friedrich of Prussia | ||||
Mother | Lady Brigid Guinness | ||||
Occupation | Philanthropist |
Princess Antonia of Prussia, Duchess of Wellington OBE (Antonia Elizabeth Brigid Louise Mansfeld; born 28 April 1955) is a British aristocrat and philanthropist. She serves as the President of The Guinness Partnership, [1] an affordable housing community benefit society in the United Kingdom. A member of the House of Hohenzollern by birth, she is a great-granddaughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and a great-great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Through her marriage, she is also the Princess of Waterloo, Duchess of Victoria, and Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo.
Princess Antonia Elizabeth Brigid Louise Mansfeld of Prussia was born in London on 28 April 1955, the daughter of Prince Frederick of Prussia and his wife, Lady Brigid Guinness. [2] [3] [4] On her father's side, she is a great-granddaughter of the German Emperor Wilhelm II, and granddaughter of Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh on her mother's side. [5] She has a twin brother, Rupert. [5]
She was educated at Cobham Hall School and King's College London, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English. [6]
In 2007, she was appointed as the President of The Guinness Partnership, an affordable housing charitable society in the United Kingdom, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to social housing. [7] [8] Prior to serving as president, she had been a member of the Partnership's Board of Trustees since 1976.
In 2008 Antonia was appointed as a fellow of Eton College, serving as a member of the college's governing body. [9] She is also a fellow of King's College, London. She opened Maggi Hambling's War Requiem & Aftermath, a cultural exhibition at King's College. [10]
In 2009, she became the Chairwoman of the Royal Ballet School, serving until December 2019. [11] [12] As chairwoman, she helped lead the school's Healthy Dancer Programme and fundraised for the school's academic programs. [13]
In 2023, she attended the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla, where her husband carried Queen Mary's Crown in the royal procession. [14] [15] Later that year, she sat in the royal carriage with King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the King's procession at Royal Ascot. [15]
On 3 February 1977, she married Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge in London. Notable guests at the wedding included Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales, Princess Margaret, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent. [16] When her husband succeeded his father as the 9th Duke of Wellington, she became the Princess of Waterloo in Belgium and the Netherlands, the Duchess of Victoria in Portugal, the Duchess of Wellington in the United Kingdom, and the Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain. They have five children, including Lady Mary Wellesley and Lady Charlotte Wellesley. [4]
Mary of Teck was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King-Emperor George V.
Lady Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth Ramsay was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Upon her marriage to Alexander Ramsay, she relinquished her title of a British princess and the style of Royal Highness. She was the third and youngest child and the second daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. She was also the only one of the three children of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn to have outlived him since Princess Margaret of Connaught and Prince Arthur of Connaught both died before their father Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, born Lady Alexandra Duff and known as Princess Arthur of Connaught after her marriage, was the eldest surviving grandchild of Edward VII and also the first cousin of George VI. Alexandra and her younger sister, Maud, had the distinction of being the only female-line descendants of a British sovereign officially granted both the title of Princess and the style of Highness.
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, informally known by her family as Thora, was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. From July 1917, she was addressed simply as Princess Helena Victoria.
Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife was the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom; she was a younger sister of King George V. Louise was given the title of Princess Royal in 1905. Known for her shy and quiet personality, Louise remained a low-key member of the royal family throughout her life.
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Princess of Leiningen and subsequently Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, was a German princess and the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. As the widow of Charles, Prince of Leiningen, from 1814, she served as regent of the Principality during the minority of her son from her first marriage, Karl, until her second wedding in 1818 to Prince Edward, fourth son of George III.
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, was a member of the House of Hohenzollern who married into the British royal family. She served as the viceregal consort of Canada while her husband, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, served as the governor general, from 1911 to 1916.
The use of the title of Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is entirely at the will of the sovereign, and is now expressed in letters patent. Individuals holding the title of princess will usually also be granted the style of Her Royal Highness (HRH). The current letters patent were issued in 1917 during the World War I, with one extension in 2012.
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.
Prince Frederick George William Christopher of Prussia, also known as Friedrich von Preussen in the United Kingdom, was the fourth son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Sir John Ponsonby Conroy, 1st Baronet, KCH was a British Army officer who served as comptroller to the Duchess of Kent and her young daughter, Princess Victoria, the future Queen of the United Kingdom.
Lavinia Jannetta Horton Ryves, was a British woman claiming to be a member of the British royal family, calling herself "Princess Lavinia of Cumberland".
Queen Victoria, the British monarch from 1837 to 1901, and Prince Albert had 9 children, 42 grandchildren, and 87 great-grandchildren. Victoria was called the "grandmother of Europe".
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which 50 European kings and princes were invited.
Lady Brigid Katharine Rachel Guinness was the youngest daughter of Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh, and wife of Prince Frederick of Prussia, grandson of Wilhelm II, German Emperor.
Diana Ruth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, was the wife of Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, and a British intelligence officer during World War II.
Lady Charlotte Anne Santo Domingo is an English socialite and photography producer. She is married to Colombian-American businessman Alejandro Santo Domingo.
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India, died on 22 January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, at the age of 81. At the time of her death, she was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Her state funeral took place on 2 February 1901, being one of the largest gatherings of European royalty.
The wedding of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark took place on 10 March 1863 at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. It was the first royal wedding to take place at St. George's, and the last wedding of a Prince of Wales until Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's 1981 wedding.