Their ancestors did battle with musket and cannon in one of the most famous battles in British history.
And now the descendants of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington are locked in another battle – albeit a more civilised one.
It has been revealed the eminent pair are City rivals in their private equity firms.
Arthur Mornington, Marquess of Douro, is a descendant of the Duke of Wellington (pictured right) – it has now been revealed that he is a rival of Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte in the City
Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte works for Advent International, while Arthur Mornington, Marquess of Douro is a partner at Charterhouse Capital Partners, one of London’s oldest private equity firms.
They have been chosen to represent their respective families at ceremonies in Belgium to mark the 200th anniversary of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.
The battle, in present-day Belgium, saw the British and allied forces under the command of the 1st Duke of Wellington defeat French emperor Napoleon, bringing to an end the 12 years of the Napoleonic Wars.
Mr Bonaparte, who is the great-great-great-great-nephew of Emperor Napoleon I, says he feels ‘deeply European’ and fears his homeland of France is forcing talent out the country.
The Marquess of Douro, 37, a descendant of Queen Victoria, told the Financial Times: ‘Jean-Christophe and I are friends, he’s a great guy.
‘Learning from what happened and making sure that we appreciate the European peace we enjoy is the whole point’.
Mr Bonaparte, who is the great-great-great-great-nephew of Emperor Napoleon I, takes a reflective view of the battle which ended his ancestor’s reign.
‘I feel deeply European’, he told the paper. ‘Waterloo brought and end to decades of fighting.’
Napoleon declared himself emperor in 1804 and waged war with other European powers, conquering much of the continent.
He was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and imprisoned on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena, where he died on May 5 1821.
Mr Bonaparte also pointed out how the family have always had strong links to Britain.
The emperor himself sought to retire to Britain after Waterloo, his grandson Emperor Napoleon III lived in Chislehurst, Kent, when in exile, and is buried in Farnborough alongside his son, who died fighting for the British during the Zulu Wars.
Mr Bonaparte is heir of the legacy of Napoleon and is, in the views of some monarchists, head of the former Imperial House of France.
Through his mother he is a descendant of King Louis XV of France and through his great-grandmother princess Clémentine of Belgium he is a descendant of Louis Philippe I, who was the last King to rule France, although Emperor Napoleon III would serve as its last monarch.
The 28-year-old has been at Advent International for two years having previously worked as an investment banking analyst for Morgan Stanley.
His City rival the Marquess of Douro, who was educated at Eton College and Christchurch College, Oxford, is a descendant of Queen Victoria and so eligible to succeed to the British throne.
He married model and socialite Jemma Kidd at a lavish ceremony in Barbados in 2005 and the couple now have three children.
His mother Antonia is the daughter of Prince Frederick of Prussia and a descendant of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, the man who plunged Europe into war in 1914.
DUKE OF WELLINGTON DYNASTY
Founded by Arthur Wellesey, the 1st Duke of Wellington, the dynasty rose to prominence following his stunning victory at Waterloo, where he led a combined force of British, Flemish and Prussian troops to glory against the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Already 1st Marquess of Wellington, he was made a duke in recognition of the extraordinary success.
The 1st Duke, who twice served as a Conservative prime minister, also established the family seat, the majestic Stratfield Saye in Hampshire, and cemented his outstanding reputation with 60 military victories and stints as Master of Horse for George IV and William IV.
Subsequent dukes enjoyed glittering military careers, with the 8th Duke of Wellington, Arthur Valerian Wellesley being awarded the Military Cross.
The new generation, Charles, the 10th Duke, and son Arthur, have taken the family in a new direction.
Charles has enjoyed a career in philanthropy and briefly dabbled in politics, but most intriguingly, married into the now defunct Prussian royal family.
Arthur is a partner at Charterhouse Capital Partners, one of London’s oldest private equity firms.
source: The Daily Mail UK