That Time The Duke of Wellington Did The Carlton Dance

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Since we’re almost positive everyone reading this is aware of who both the Duke of Wellington and Carlton Bank are (the demographic info for this site is amazing) we’re just going to say that the Iron Duke once danced a dance remarkably similar to the Carlton dance when he heard that Napoleon had abdicated.

First things first, for everyone who isn’t aware of what the Carlton dance is, or if you just want to see it to brighten your day, here’s a very relevant GIF for you.

This dance will live longer than Alfonso Ribeiro ever will.
This dance will live longer than Alfonso Ribeiro ever will.

Amazingly, upon hearing the news that Napoleon had abdicated the French throne in 1814, The Duke of Wellington, a man famed, even back then for being incredibly stoic and emotionless in the face of even the greatest hardship, danced the flamenco while wildly clicking his fingers like a jackass.

To understand just how out of character this was, you have to realise that the Iron Duke was known throughout the world for being an incredibly stern and eerily robot-like man. He famously disapproved of his own men cheering when they won battles and he notably always slept in a camp bed, even after he became the British Prime Minister because he didn’t like indulging himself in “creature comforts” of lesser men. Yes, this man considered sleeping in a bed an indulgence and saw celebrating not being killed as something only assholes did.

That outfit
That outfit was 100% necessary though.

He also absolutely refused to dine on anything other than cold meat and slices of bread (the same things his men ate) and insisted that his staff did the same, much to their dismay. He was also cold and indifferent to anyone of a lower social class than himself, which considering he was a freaking Duke, meant that he was an asshole to pretty much everybody he ever met.

With that in mind, him deciding to let down that stern façade and risk the reputation he’d carved from sheet iron was about as likely as him not smashing the tits off of every enemy he faced in battle. But that’s exactly what he did when he heard the news about Napoleon, luckily for us, he decided to do so in the most fabulous way possible. By dancing a merry jig like an excitable child. Cool huh?