Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro

Charles Wellesley
Born	19 August 1945 (1945-08-19) (age 66)
Title	Marquess of Douro Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo Grandee of Spain
Spouse	Princess Antonia of Prussia
Children	Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, Honor Wellesley, Mary Wellesley, Charlotte Wellesley, Frederick Wellesley
Parents	Arthur Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington Diana McConnel

Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, Grandee of Spain, OBE (born 19 August 1945), is the son and heir of Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, and his wife, Diana McConnel. He was born as Earl of Mornington in 1945, at Princess Christian Nursing Home, Windsor, Berkshire. He has three younger brothers and one younger sister.

Education

The Marquess was born in Windsor and educated at Eton College and later at Christ Church, Oxford.

Marriage

He married Princess Antonia of Prussia (who no longer uses her royal title) on 3 February 1977 at St. Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, London. They have five children:

• Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (b. 31 January 1978) who is married as of 4 June 2005 to the former model Jemma Kidd, a fashion stylist and great-granddaughter of Lord Beaverbrook. They have twins (b. 4 January 2010) Lady Mae Madeleine and Arthur Darcy, Viscount Wellesley
• Lady Honor Victoria Wellesley (b. 25 October 1979) who is married (as his second wife) to the Honourable Orlando Montagu, younger son of the Earl of Sandwich and has a son Walter (b. 3 December 2005). Walter Montagu is the first grandchild for Marquess and Marchioness of Douro. They also have a daughter (b. January 2007) called Nancy Jemima.
• Lady Mary Luise Wellesley (b. 16 December 1986)
• Lady Charlotte Anne Wellesley (b. 8 October 1990) who attends Oxford University
• Lord Frederick Charles Wellesley (b. 30 September 1992), attends Eton College

Politics

Lord Douro stood as Conservative candidate for Islington North in 1974, finishing in second place. He was a member of Basingstoke Borough Council from 1978–1979. He subsequently served as Conservative MEP for Surrey from 1979–1984, and as Conservative MEP Surrey West from 1984-1989.

Charity

Lord Douro has worked for a number of non profit or charitable organisations. He was a patron of British Art at the Tate Gallery (1987–1990), a member of the Royal College of Art between (1992–97), Chair of British-Spanish Tertulias (1993–98) and Trustee of the Phoenix Trust from 1996–2001). He received an 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.

As of 1 October 2007 he has been 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

• Deputy Chairman of Thames Valley Broadcasting Ltd between 1975 and 1984.
• Director of Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia Ltd between 1977 and 1980.
• Councillor for Basingstoke Borough Council between 1978 and 1979.
• Director of Eucalyptus Pulp Mills Ltd between 1979 and 1988.
• Director of Transatlantic Holdings plc between 1983 and 1996.
• Director of Global Asset Management Worldwide Inc between 1984 and 1999.
• Deputy Chairman of Deltec Panamerica SA between 1985 and 1989.
• Chairman of Deltec Securities (UK) Ltd between 1986 and 1989.
• Director of Continental and Industrial Trust plc between 1987 and 1990.
• Deputy Chairman of Guinness Mahon Holdings Ltd between 1988 and 1991.
• Director of Sun Life Corp Ltd between 1988 and 1996.
• Director of Rothmans International Ltd between 1990 and 1993.
• Chairman of Dunhill Holdings Ltd between 1991 and 1993.
• Deputy Chairman of Vendôme Luxury Group plc between 1993 and 1999.
• Chairman of Framlington Group Ltd between 1994 and 1999.
• Chairman of Sun Life & Provincial Holdings plc in 1996.
• Director of Pernod Ricard, SA

Titles and styles

• Charles Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (1945–1972)
• Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (1972–present)
  • In Spain: Excelentísimo Señor Charles Wellesley, Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, Grande de España (2010-present)
  • In the Netherlands: De hoogwelgeboren heer Jonkheer Charles Wellesley (1945-present)

Besides being the eldest son of the Duke of Wellington, he also belongs to the Dutch nobility as Jonkheer, as well as a member of the Spanish nobility and Portuguese nobility.

On March 10, 2010, the Marquess of Douro claimed the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo together with the accompanying title Grandee of Spain, as his father ceded them to him.^[1] King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his minister, granted the succession of the dukedom to the Marquess by Royal Decree of May 21, 2010 as confirmed by the notice in the Official Bulletin of State dated June 12, 2010.^[2] As a result, the Marquess of Douro is now the 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo and also remains the heir apparent to the Duke of Wellington title.

References

1. ^ BOE, 30 de marzo de 2010, sección V.
2. ^ BOE, 12 de junio de 2010.

External links

• The Peerage website
• Duke of Wellington's Regiment - West Riding

Order of precedence
Preceded by Earl Percy	Gentlemen	Succeeded by Marquess of Stafford
Peerage of the United Kingdom
First heir apparent	Line of succession to the Dukedom of Wellington and the Princedom of Waterloo	Succeeded by Lord Mornington
Spanish nobility
Preceded by Arthur Wellesley	Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo 2010-present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Wellesley, Arthur Charles Valerian
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 August 1945
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death