St Helena: The island where Napoleon died
St Helena may be most famous as the site of the final exile of the military genius who became the emperor of France in the early 19th century. But it is also a place of wider historical interest and natural wonders. And getting there is becoming easier than ever
18 January 2024 - 05:00
There’s been no shortage of controversy about the historical accuracy of UK filmmaker Ridley Scott’s latest blockbuster, a biopic about Napoleon Bonaparte. But one element of the French military master’s life is not up for debate; it sails into view in the final minutes of the nearly three-hour epic.
Defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon is shipped off into his second exile, and we see him staring balefully at cloud-shrouded cliffs. That is perhaps the point when it finally hits home that he is not, as he’d hoped, headed to America, but rather to the remote island of St Helena...
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