Death and state funeral of the Duke of Wellington

Death and state funeral of the Duke of Wellington

Wellington's funeral procession arriving at St Paul's Cathedral (print by George Baxter, 1852)
Date	14 September 1852; 171 years ago (1852-09-14) (death) 18 November 1852 (state funeral)
Location	Walmer Castle, Kent (death) St Paul's Cathedral, London (state funeral)
Burial	Crypt of St Paul's

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, died on 14 September 1852, aged 83. He was the commander of British forces and their allies in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo, which finally ended the Napoleonic Wars, and served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Although Wellington's political career had led to his unpopularity because of his opposition to the Great Reform Act, in old age it was his military career which was remembered and he was revered as a national hero. His state funeral on 18 November at St Paul's Cathedral in London was the grandest of any in Britain during the 19th century.^[1]