The seventh Duke of Westminster, once considered one of Britain's most eligible bachelors, is officially the UK's richest man under 40.
According to 2024 sunday time Rich List, Hugh Grosvenor, 33, has a net worth of £10.127 billion pounds, a substantial increase from the £9.878 billion pounds he had in 2023.
However, he will soon lose his bachelor status when he gets married at the society wedding of the year next month.
Despite owning around half of Mayfair, Grosvenor will opt for leafier surroundings when he marries Olivia Grace Henson at Chester Cathedral in Cheshire on June 7.
The Duke also plans to leave London, and the hundreds of properties at his disposal, spread generously across all the most desirable parts of London's real-life Monopoly board.
Explaining his reasons for avoiding the capital in favor of his Cheshire acreage, he said it was a “really easy decision” to leave and he hopes to put down roots in the area with his soon-to-be new wife.
“It's obviously a place where we will live.
“We will build our lives together and slowly transition to moving away from London and being much more permanent here and really putting down roots.
“So yeah, in the end it was a very easy decision.”
Hugh's Network and Net Worth
Grosvenor is one of the richest men in the United Kingdom with an estimated net worth of £10.127 billion.
While Grosvenor generally prefers to keep a low profile, he is reported to be extremely close to the royal family and the King, Queen and Prince of Wales are likely to attend his nuptials next month.
King Charles is Hugh's godfather and was present at his baptism in 1991.
Meanwhile, Prince William holds the duke in such high regard that he named him godfather to Prince George in 2013.
Grosvenor is also a close friend of Prince Harry, who was Duke Archie's godfather.
However, the Sussexes were reportedly not invited to the wedding to avoid overshadowing Grosvenor's big day following rising tensions within the royal family.
The Duke inherited his title and Grosvenor Estate in 2016 following the death of his father, Gerald Grosvenor, at the age of 64. At the time, the then 6th Duke of Westminster was the richest landowner in the United Kingdom.
Now his son owns the more than 300-acre Grosvenor estate, made up of some of London's most attractive neighborhoods, including Mayfair and Belgravia.
Education
Grosvenor studied Rural Management at Newcastle University before working for a company owned by the Grosvenor Group: Wheatsheaf Group, a food and agriculture investment company.
After this, he started working at Bio-bean, a company that converts coffee waste into sustainable products such as biofuels.
He has previously spoken of his commitment to environmental causes and seems determined to protect them.
“The key – and this is as true in London as in any of these huge Chinese cities that pop up every year – is that it places an obligation on planners to protect green spaces, environmental sustainability and the essential nature of life. places. There will be tremendous pressure to reduce them, and they must be resisted,” he stated.
the future bride
The Duke of Westminster's new wife, Olivia Henson, also has royal connections, although the couple met through friends.
Henson studied at Marlborough College alongside Princess Eugenie.
Following her marriage to Grosvenor, she will become Duchess of Westminster and appears to share her partner's passion for the environment.
She studied Hispanic Studies and Italian at Trinity College Dublin and currently works as a Senior Account Manager at Belazu, an environmentally friendly food production company.
The duke's considerable wealth has been subject to much scrutiny since it came into his possession in 2016 because it is held in a trust fund.
As reported by the guardian At the time, he could have been subject to an inheritance tax of up to 40 percent, but this did not happen because of the way the money was held.
Explaining how it worked, financial adviser Ian Dyall said: “The benefits of trusts are that they are not part of anyone's estate.
“In a discretionary trust, you have a full list of potential beneficiaries to whom the trustees can choose to allocate benefits.
“So you can't point your finger at any potential beneficiary and tell them that's your money. The money can stay in the trust and cascade from generation to generation and no one pays inheritance tax on it.”
Leaving London
But despite having such immense wealth, Grosvenor prefers a “discreet” life, which could explain his decision to leave London.
“Hugh is pretty low-key,” a friend allegedly told him. The times. “He takes his duties very seriously, but when he's not working he's relaxed.”
While little is known about the wedding beyond its high-profile guest list and location, Grosvenor reportedly spent a staggering £5 million on his 21st birthday.
This money was spent on a party that entertained 800 guests, including Prince Harry, and featured Michael McIntyre and Rizzle Kick as entertainment.
