Soldiers re-enact the battle of Waterloo
Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, a direct descendant of the war hero and and next in line to become the 10th Duke of Wellington, hopes to join the international commemorations in June by riding on the battlefield 200 years to the day after battle was joined.
At a Downing Street reception hosted by Chancellor George Osborne he welcomed a Government donation to the commemorations of £1.1million.
And he told an audience including descendants of Waterloo veterans that he hopes to ride his horse at Waterloo.
He will be riding in the footsteps of the Iron Duke and his horse Copenhagen two days before a re-enactment involving 6,000 participants from around Europe.
The Earl, who is also the Marquess of Douro, was educated at Eton and Oxford and is married to the model Jemma Kidd.
He told the reception for the Waterloo 200 charity organising a series of events in Belgium and Britain: "Waterloo is an amazing story that means so much to my family.
"It is a story of the triumph and tragedy of nations, but also the heroism and suffering of countless individuals. It is a story that needs to be told and retold, as it was to me. That is what the Waterloo 200 legacy intends to do."
The chairman of Waterloo 200, Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, said: "He will be representing the Wellington family on the battlefield on June 18."
Waterloo, which was fought just south of Brussels in June 1815, was a bloodbath in which 47,000 of the more than 200,000 soldiers were killed with another 24,000 wounded.
Waterloo is an amazing story that means so much to my family
Wellington admitted later that Waterloo was "the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life".
After witnessing bloodshed on such a large scale, he said: "I don't know what it is like to lose a battle, but certainly nothing can be more painful than to gain one with the loss of so many of one's friends."
The French were only routed when Prussian reinforcements reached the battlefield late in the day, tipping the balance in the Allies' favour.
The Duke of Wellington spent the entire battle in the saddle on his horse Copenhagen, narrowly escaping death from French cannons and muskets.
Copenhagen not only survived the battle but lived for another 21 years.
When Copenhagen died in 1836 he was buried with his own marble headstone at the Duke's estate, Stratfield Saye House, in Hampshire.
Waterloo 200's main aim to raise awareness of the importance of the battle, particularly among schoolchildren.
Its website shows a history of the campaign in 200 objects - from false teeth to a photograph of the Duke of Wellington.
The Downing Street reception was told that the commemorations are getting £1million from Libor fines levied on banks for rate-rigging and £100,000 from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport
This is on top of £1million already granted to the restoration of the ruined farm at Hougoumont which was held against the odds by British and allied troops in the face of repeated French mass attacks.
Sir Evelyn said: "We are delighted with this news as it will allow us to expand our programmes with schools and descendants.”
Chris Heyland, a descendant of Major Arthur Rowley Heyland who fought and died at the end of The Peninsular War, said,
“I am delighted to represent my family at the event and extremely glad to meet other descendants.”
Culture Media and Sport minister Ed Vaizey said: "I am thrilled to announce the government’s contribution of £1.1m to support Waterloo 200 in the delivery
of their events and educational resources, which will help explain the importance of the Battle to a new generation.”