Campaign cloak worn by the Duke of Wellington, 1803-1815

It is likely that this is the cloak Wellington wore at Waterloo (1815). During that battle he was everywhere, directing key moments of the struggle dressed in a blue coat, blue cloak and white breeches.

Wellington gave the cloak to his lover Lady Caroline Lamb after the battle. Written diaries from the period show Lamb gave it later to Sir Anthony Carlisle and he then presented it to Grosvenor Charles Bedford on 14 May 1823. The cloak remained in the Bedford family until 2015. The cloak also matches both contemporary descriptions of Wellington's garb on campaign and later portraits of him at Waterloo.