Author:
Tim Richardson (Transcription)
Report:
Newsletter 29
Year:
2026
Subject Matter:
British in Portugal
Excerpt:
Prince William of Orange (Willem II of The Netherlands) was only two when, in 1792, the French Revolution surged into the Netherlands and forced his father to flee into exile in England with his family. William spent his youth in Berlin at the Prussian court, where he followed a military education and served in the Prussian Army. He arrived in Lisbon in July 1811. Beresford, the military governor, held a dinner in his honour. He was aged 19, had just entered the British army and been made an ADC to Wellington. After this, he took part in the Siege of Badajoz and the Battle of Salamanca.
While Wellington went to Cadiz, his ADCs set out on a visit to Porto. Prince William recorded this visit in his diary. He wrote in English. His idiosyncratic spelling has been maintained in the transcript and annotations are provided to guide the reader. Relevant diary entries by Clarissa Trant, daughter of the Governor of Porto, have also been included.
The diaries can be read here.
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