He was known as the Iron Duke, a moniker gained from his steadfastness in war and politics – and hinting too at manliness. But the Duke of Wellington, victor over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 and then twice prime minister, was not just a man’s man. He actively sought the company of intelligent female friends with whom he could discuss world issues, a new exhibition reveals.
While he did have affairs, “his closest friends were women, not men,” said Josephine Oxley, keeper of the vast Wellington Collection, which has been in the family for more than two centuries.
