A RAGLAN woman who is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Lord Nelson relived her family's heroic past when she met a direct descendant of Napoleon, his great adversary.

Anna Millicent Horatia Tribe, 74, met the great-great-great grandson of Napoleon, Bernard de Salis, 67, at Lock and Co Hatters in central London ahead of a new exhibition being launched to mark the famous military encounter between the two men.

Nelson and Napoleon, which pieces together the story behind the Battle of Trafalgar, is to take place between July 7 and November 13 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich next year to mark its 200th anniversary in October.

Lord Nelson was killed in the famous naval battle which became one of Britain's greatest ever triumphs.

Grandmother Mrs Tribe, descended from Nelson and his mistress Emma Hamilton, said: "I think people are fascinated by Nelson, he was a tremendous admiral, and wonderful leader and I think he had a lot of humanity in him for his men.

"Possibly that has come down the ages and maybe that's why people remember him so well."

Her grandfather on the other side of the family moved to Raglan to become warden of Raglan Castle and she moved there with her mother and father from London in 1939.

But she recalls knowing about her family history as a child in London. She said: "When we went in a No 11 bus round Trafalgar Square I used to wave at Nelson's Column. I always knew as far back as I can remember." Mrs Tribe recently appeared on The Weakest Link special with descendants of famous people.

She said: "That was rather fun and Anne Robinson is not as intimidating as she looks."