91Èȱ¬

The bicentenary of Waterloo falls in April, the battle that brought an end to long years of war between Britain and France and determined the shape of Europe for the rest of the 19th century.

James Naughtie speaks to descendants of the protagonists of the battle the Duke of Wellington and Napoléon Bonaparte.

The Marquis of Duoro is the son and heir to the current Duke of Wellington. The Marquis said ‘Wellington certainly had a greater respect for Napoléon than Napoléon had for him. Wellington believed the presence of Napoléon at the head of an army added great strength to that army.’

James then flew to Paris to meet Charles Bonaparte at his descendants tomb at Les Invalides in Paris.

Charles told Today 'Waterloo was the end of Napoléon’s political career but it was the beginning of his legend, his memory is arguably more important than his career.‘

First broadcast on the Today programme 29th December 2014