Prince Edward has thrown his support behind a £1.3 million campaign to restore the historic gardens at Hougoumont farm in Belgium, visiting the site last Friday.
The Duke of Edinburgh's visit came nine days after the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, where British forces defended the chateau farm against Napoleon's army on 18 June 1815.
The restoration project, led by the Friends of the Hougoumont Gardens group, aims to recreate the gardens as they appeared before the battle devastated them.
"We're extremely pleased that the Duke of Edinburgh is coming here to back the new initiative and hope his presence will act as a multiplier for support," Baron Alexander de Vos van Steenwijk, the group's Brussels-based Dutch chairman, told The Telegraph.
Prince Edward has thrown his support behind a £1.3 million campaign to restore the historic gardens at Hougoumont farm in Belgium, visiting the site last Friday.
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Hougoumont served as a crucial defensive position on the right of Wellington's line during the battle.
The farm's strategic importance became clear when British Foot Guards successfully repelled a French assault led by an axe-wielding lieutenant at the north gate.
Wellington later declared: "The success of the battle turned upon the closing of the gates at Hougoumont."
The fierce fighting at the farm contributed to the massive casualties of the battle, which left 50,000 dead and wounded across both armies.
The Duke of Edinburgh's visit came nine days after the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, where British forces defended the chateau farm against Napoleon's army on 18 June 1815.
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Whilst some buildings at Hougoumont were restored for the battle's bicentenary, the chateau remains were preserved as ruins and the gardens were never replanted following their destruction during the conflict.
The restoration scheme, overseen by renowned garden architect François Goffinet, comprises four key elements.
These include reconstructing the French-style formal garden with its symmetrical patterns and restoring the kitchen vegetable garden on the farm's west side.
The project will also replant the large orchard, which witnessed some of the battle's fiercest fighting, and create a new 'biosphere' garden on wetland beyond the north gate.
"We know how the gardens looked before the battle because there were many depictions of Hougoumont from the time. We've also worked with archaeologists who have carried out research which shows how and where the trees were planted in the orchard," said Baron de Vos.
The Duke, who serves as Colonel of the Scots Guards, laid a wreath at the Closing the Gates memorial.
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The initiative has already secured €1.1 million (£950,000) towards its €1.5 million target, primarily from the Walloon regional government, ensuring restoration work can commence next year.
The Duke arrived at Hougoumont via the north gate, where the historic French assault had been repelled. On arrival, he joked with a piper about the weather, asking if he was in light dress.
Major (Retd) James Kelly said: "We are very proud to be here at Hougoumont and it's quite nice that the Coldstream Guards aren't around! They've done their bit in the past week."
He added: "We're delighted that the Duke is our new Royal Colonel. It was special to see him wearing our tunic at the King's Birthday Parade with the green sash Order of the Thistle."
The Duke, who serves as Colonel of the Scots Guards, laid a wreath at the Closing the Gates memorial. During his visit, a 'tree of peace' was planted, grown from seeds of a sapling rescued after the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
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