Who is the Duchess of Wellington? Lesser known royal, 69, turns heads at State Opening of Parliament with her regal tiara and extravagant brooch

The Duchess of Wellington caused quite a stir in the House of Lords today during the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament.

Although King Charles gave a historic speech, the elegant tiara and brooch worn by the Duchess – officially known as Antonia Elizabeth Brigid Louise Mansfeld of Prussia – also attracted a lot of attention.

The historical headgear was, according to Tatler magazine, first worn by Lady Elisabeth Hay, the 2nd Duchess of Wellington, who was the mistress of Queen Victoria and daughter-in-law of the 1st Duke of Wellington.

Today, the 69-year-old little royal looked every inch a duchess, dressed in an elegant white lace dress with immaculate cream gloves. She completed her look with a pair of large pearl earrings.

But many may be wondering who this mysterious royal is and what her connection is to The Firm.

Close ties: The Duchess of Wellington led King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, on a visit to the Royal Ballet School White Lodge campus in Richmond Park in 2016

The Duchess of Wellington is the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her father, Prince Friedrich of Prussia.

Antonia’s mother, Lady Brigid Guinness, is also the daughter of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh, Rupert Guinness.

During World War II, Lady Brigid worked as a nursing assistant and cared for Prince Friedrich, who was injured in a tractor accident.

The couple fell in love and married a few years later, in 1945, in Little Hadham in Hertfordshire.

Prince Friedrich renounced his German nationality to become a British citizen under the name von Preussen. They had Antonia in April 1955, together with her twin brother Rupert.

Their father died under mysterious circumstances when the twins were only 10 years old. He was found drowned in the Rhine while staying at his castle Reinhartshausen in Erbach, Germany.

The Duchess of Wellington attended Cobham Hall School, a private girls’ school in Kent, and shortly afterwards went to King’s College, where she gained a degree in English.

On 3 February 1977, she married Charles Wellesley, now the Duke of Wellington, at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London. He is the eldest son of the 8th Duke of Wellington and is both a businessman and a member of the House of Lords.

The lavish wedding was attended by the then Prince Charles, Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.

Antonia and Charles had five children: Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, Lady Honor Victoria Wellesley, Lady Mary Luise Wellesley, Lady Charlotte Wellesley and Lord Frederick Wellesley.

Antonia and the late Princess Diana are seen in a photo at a Guinness Trust Project in Manchester in 1991

The Duke and Duchess of Wellington pictured at the wedding of their daughter, Lady Charlotte Wellesley, in 2016 – the couple have five children together

Then-Prince Charles and then-Duchess Camilla are shown around by the Duke and Duchess of Wellington during a visit to the Battlefield and Lion Hill in Belgium in 2015

In 2008, Antonia was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and subsequently elected a Fellow of Eton College.

Their aristocracy and status should not be underestimated as she has maintained close ties with members of The Firm.

Photographs of Antonia are on display at a Guinness Trust Project in Manchester, together with the late Princess Diana, in 1991.

The Duchess became President of the Royal Ballet School in 2009 and remained President until December 2019.

In 2016, she showed Prince Charles around the Royal Ballet School, White Lodge campus in Richmond Park.

And the Duke and Duchess of Wellington attended the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla on May 6 last year and were given the task of wearing Queen Mary’s crown during the Queen’s regalia.

In 2023, the couple were also invited to join Charles and Camilla on the first day of Ascot, emphasising their importance to the monarch.