Prince Imperial Memorial

The Prince Imperial Memorial is a memorial cross and battlefield in Nqutu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is dedicated to Napoléon, Prince Imperial of France who made his last stand on the site in 1879 and was built on the spot where he died.[1] The memorial was erected on the orders of Queen Victoria, who paid for it, in 1880.[2]

Prince Imperial Memorial
French: Mémorial du Prince Impérial
Prince Imperial Memorial
Year1880 (1880)
SubjectMemorial cross to Napoléon, Prince Imperial
LocationNqutu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Coordinates28°07′55.3″S 30°47′49.5″E

Background

Napoléon, Prince Imperial was the only son of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. He fought for the British Army and Queen Victoria was his godmother. On 1 June 1879 in Zululand, the Prince Imperial was ambushed by Zulu warriors and was killed after 18 assegai wounds.[3] The Zulus did not desecrate the body as was their custom out of fear after seeing a necklace with the Virgin Mary on that the Prince wore which they believed was a magical talisman.[4]

Erection

The death of the Prince Imperial caused international outrage as Queen Victoria only authorised him to go providing the army kept him out of danger. Queen Victoria ordered the erection of a memorial on the spot where he died, paying for it personally.[5][6] The cross was enscribed "'This cross is erected by Queen Victoria, in affectionate remembrance of Napoleon Eugene Louis Jean Joseph Prince Imperial, to mark the spot where, while assisting in a reconnaissance with the British troops, on the 1st June 1879, he was attacked by a party of Zulus, and fell with his face to the foe."[2] When the memorial was finished, Zulu warriors saluted it with British Army soldiers.[7]

On the first anniversary of his death, his mother Empress Eugénie visited the site of her son's death. She kept a vigil all night and noticed she was being watched by Zulus who she believed to have been the ones who had killed her son.[8]

Later history

On the centenary of the Prince Imperial's death in 1979, the French Ambassador to South Africa visited the memorial and a commemorative plaque was installed at the site.[9] In 1996, KwaZulu-Natal promoted the route to the memorial that Empress Eugénie took as La Route du Prince Impérial, Louis Napoléon.[10] In 2006, an interpretive wall was built nearby as part of the memorial site, funded by a Frenchman from Réunion.[1] Traditionally on the Sunday closest to 1 June, French people and Zulus meet together at the site to commemorate the Prince.[11]

References
  1. "Prince Imperial Memorial". Battlefields Route. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. "Memorial to Napoléon, Prince Imperial of the French in Zululand". Royal Collections Trust. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. "Assegai recovered from the vicinity of the Prince Imperial's body, 1 June 1879". National Army Museum. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. "Battle Royal - Louis, Prince Imperial". Military History. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  5. "Memorial to Napoléon, Prince Imperial of the French in Zululand c. 1880". Royal Collections Trust. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  6. "The Prince Imperial of France dies in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879". South African History. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  7. "Men gathered around the memorial to commemorate the death of Napoléon, Prince Imperial of the French". Royal Collections Trust. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  8. "Prince Imperial". Talana Museum. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  9. "MEMORIAL OF THE IMPERIAL PRINCE NAPOLEON". Petit Fute. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  10. Gordon, Phillippa. "21st Anniversary of the Route of the Prince Impérial, Louis Napoleon". Meander Chronicle. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  11. "L'incroyable histoire de Napoléon" (in French). Rotard. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
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