Lord Nelson was 'queer', a prestigious gallery has suggested. 

The British naval hero was fatally shot in 1805 during the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the Royal Navy triumphed over the combined forces of France and Spain in 1805. 

His final moments aboard HMS Victory are depicted in two paintings at the taxpayer-funded Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. 

It is generally believed that Nelson's last words on his deathbed after being shot were 'kiss me Hardy', which he uttered to his flag captain Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy.

According to the contested account, Hardy then kissed Nelson on his hands and forehead.

That claim has prompted curators at the Walker Art Gallery to put Nelson in the 'Queer relationships' collection, the Telegraph reported.

This is despite the fact that he had a passionate relationship with his mistress Emma Hamilton and had been married for 18 years to his wife Frances Nisbet when he died.

Online information from the gallery, which is part of the publicly funded National Museums Liverpool group, states: 'Historians have speculated about the exact nature of the relationship between Hardy and Nelson.

'Regardless of the truth, for many, Nelson's famous request is symbolic of the sometimes hidden queer history of life at sea.'

It adds: 'Whether or not their relationship was sexual remains unknown, but their friendship is reflective of the close relationships formed between men at sea.

'Intimate relationships, both sexual and platonic, could develop between those on board.'

The paintings depicting Nelson are by Daniel Maclise and Benjamin West.  

Maclise's has been added to an article on the gallery's website about the 'history of LGBTQ+ love'. 

The move follows efforts by museums, galleries and other groups to highlight 'hidden' stories of LGBT people throughout history. 

Historians have not previously uncovered any evidence that Nelson was gay or bisexual.

Nelson had a daughter, Horatia, with Lady Hamilton and sent passionate letters to her.

One sent before Horatia's birth reads: 'My Dear Lady Hamilton, When I consider that this day 9 months was your birthday, and that although we had a gale of wind, yet I was happy and sung "Come Cheer up Fair Emma" even the thought compared with this day makes me melancholy, my heart somehow is sunk within me.'

Another letter was written from aboard HMS Victory in 1805, when Nelson was chasing the Spanish and French fleet.

He mentioned their daughter and an enclosed document for his lawyer amid his anxiety that both Hamilton and Horatia would not be supported if he were to die in battle.

He told her: 'I send you the enclosed that difficulty may arise about My Dear Horatia in case any accident should happen to me for I know too well the necessity of taking care of those we love whilst we have the power, and these arraingements do not hasten our death.'

Last year, a letter challenging the dominant account of Nelson's last words emerged for sale.

George Sievers, master at arms on HMS Belleisle - which was second in the British column at Trafalgar - claimed Nelson instead said: 'Thanks be to God but I have lived this day and now I die content.'