Hat worn by Napoleon before his defeat at Waterloo goes on sale for £500,000 An iconic two-pointed hat worn by Napoleon Bonaparte 200 years ago has emerged for sale for £500,000. The black felt bicorne that the French dictator was famed for wearing sideways was one of about 120 he had during his reign from 1804 to 1815. He is said to have owned this one during his temporary exile on the island of Elba in 1814 and a year before the defining Battle of Waterloo at which he was defeated by the Duke of Wellington. Original hats worn by Napoleon that exist today are in museums and the last one that came up for public sale was in France in 1968. Up for grabs: This black felt bicorne hat worn by French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte is going up for auction for £500,000. He is said to have owned this one during his temporary exile on the island of Elba in 1814 and a year before the defining Battle of Waterloo at which he was defeated by the Duke of Wellington Dictator: Napoleon, who was famed for wearing his bicornes sideways, owned around 120 hats during his reign from 1804 to 1815. The hat going up for auction was recovered by Napoleon's personal vet, Joseph Giraud Now this example is to be auctioned later this week in France for a six-figure sum. The military leader is said to have changed his hat at least three or four times a year and this one was recovered by Joseph Giraud, Napoleon's personal vet, after he had finished with it. The 19in-long headpiece has a grey-green quilted silk interior and shows signs of wear. It remained in Mr Giraud's family until 1926 when it was sold to Prince Louis II of Monaco, who was related to Napoleon. Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo (depicted above) in 1815 Before the bicorne, there was the tricorne - a three-cornered hat which became popular in the 18th Century. The tricorne evolved from the broad-rimmed round hats worn by Spanish soldiers by pinning up three sections to form a triangle. For this reason, they were also known as 'cocked hats'. The modification allowed gentry, in particular, to show off their expensive wigs, but their smaller size also made them much more practical to carry. By the end of the 18th Century, however, the tricorne had fallen out of fashion in favour of the bicorne. However, tricornes can still be seen today as part of the uniform of the Chelsea Pensioners (above). The bicorne was generally worn with the points at the front and back. But Napoleon chose to wear them sideways 'to make himself noticed', according to auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat. The prince collected all sorts of memorabilia relating to the French emperor which are displayed at the Napoleon Museum of Monaco. But the Grimaldi family is now selling some of Prince Louis's collection at auction after deciding to pursue new museum projects and refurbish of the Palais de Monaco. French auctioneers Osenat will sell the hat in Fontainebleau, Paris, where Napoleon had a palace. Jean-Pierre Osenet, the president of the auction house, said: 'Napoleon wore his bicorne hats in a different way to everybody else and that was sideways. He did this to make himself stand out and be easily identified. There are not that many historical people who can be identified by a single item. Churchill was famous for his cigars and Napoleon was famous for his hats. 'It is said that there are about 20 of his original hats in the world today and most of them are in museums and can't be sold. Maybe there are just two or three in private hands. The last one that sold at public auction was in 1968 and it was bought by the Champagne company Chandon. We have put an estimate of 500,000 Euros on it, but it could very easily go for more. The bicorne hat was made by Poupart & Co. As well as the hat, a pair of Napoleon's stockings, gloves, a shirt and silver drinking cups are being sold at the auction. The sale takes place on November 15.