Prince Edward Backs £1.3 Million Campaign to Restore Historic Gardens of Waterloo’s Hougoumont Farm
Waterloo, The Gulf Observer: The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, is lending royal support to a £1.3 million (€1.5 million) campaign to restore the historic gardens of Hougoumont, the fortified farm famously defended during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The site, described by the Duke of Wellington as critical to his victory, is set to undergo a major transformation to revive its landscape as it stood during the battle.
Prince Edward will visit Hougoumont Farm on Friday, two days after the 210th anniversary of the battle that saw Wellington’s allied forces defeat Napoleon’s Grande Armée on June 18, 1815. The Prince will enter through the North Gate, the same entrance where Coldstream and Scots Guards repelled a dramatic French assault — a pivotal moment in the battle’s outcome.
The gardens and chateau at Hougoumont were devastated during the brutal fighting that claimed around 50,000 casualties. While some of the site’s buildings were restored for the 2015 bicentenary, the gardens were left barren, and the chateau ruins preserved in their post-battle state.
A Living Legacy of War and Peace
Now, under the leadership of the Friends of the Hougoumont Gardens, a new restoration effort is underway. The project will recreate the gardens as they appeared in 1815, based on historical depictions and archaeological research. It includes four major components:
- A formal French-style garden with symmetrical designs
- A restored kitchen garden on the west side
- A replanted orchard, once the scene of intense fighting
- A new biosphere garden beyond the North Gate, designed to promote biodiversity and education
The biosphere garden will also feature a symbolic “Tree of Peace”, grown from a sapling rescued after the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. The tree will be planted during the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit, underlining the project’s commitment to remembrance and peace.
Baron Alexander de Vos van Steenwijk, the Brussels-based Dutch chairman of the Friends group, expressed hope that the Duke’s support would act as a “multiplier” for both funding and international attention. The project has already raised €1.1 million (nearly £950,000), with major contributions from the Walloon regional government, allowing work to begin in 2026.
Renowned landscape architect François Goffinet will oversee the restoration. “The gardens are an essential element of Hougoumont,” said Baron de Vos. “We will now have a place of commemoration, beauty, education, and peace.”
The Prince’s visit underscores the site’s enduring legacy as a symbol of courage, sacrifice — and now, regeneration.
