Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington

Who is Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington?

Brigadier Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, KG LVO OBE MC DL, styled Marquess of Douro between 1943 and 1972, is a senior British peer and a retired Brigadier in the British Army. He lost his membership of the House of Lords in the election under the House of Lords Act 1999.

Apart from his British titles, he holds the hereditary titles of 8th Prince of Waterloo of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and 8th Duke of the Victory 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.

The 8th Duke of Wellington was also the 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo of the Kingdom of Spain, but on 10 March 2010 he ceded the Spanish Dukedom to his eldest child, Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro. In accordance with Spanish procedure, Lord Douro petitioned formal claim to the title with the Spanish authorities. King Juan Carlos of Spain, through his Minister, granted the succession of the dukedom to Douro by Royal Decree on 21 May 2010, reported officially in the Official Bulletin of State for 12 June 2010.