The society wedding of the year between the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson will take place at Chester Cathedral next weekend.
Hugh Grosvenor, 33, is one of the richest men in the UK with a net worth of £10.127 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2024 and was once considered the country's most eligible bachelor.
But he will officially go off the market on June 7, when he marries Henson, 31, in a lavish ceremony in which Prince William and Prince George will play key roles.
After the ceremony, Henson, who attended Marlborough College alongside Princess Eugenie, will become the Duchess of Westminster.
This role is currently held by Grosvenor's widowed mother Natalia, 65, who will gain a new title and become known as Her Grace Natalia, Duchess of Westminster, or Her Grace the Dowager Duchess of Westminster.
The title of Duke of Westminster is historically significant as it is the most recent title granted to a person who is not a direct descendant of the royal family, although it is worth noting that Grosvenor's mother is a direct descendant of George II.
The dukedom was given to Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster, by Queen Victoria in 1847, making the current Hugh Grosvenor the 7th Duke of Westminster.
This is everything we know so far about their wedding
The place
While details of how the venue will be decorated and features such as music remain under wraps, it has been confirmed that it will take place at Chester Cathedral.
The happy couple recently visited the historic building and Grosvenor joked that their next visit will be “a little more stressful.”
The 33-year-old, famous for owning “half of Mayfair”, opened up to the public Chester Standard about why it was the perfect place to marry Henson, an account manager at environmentally friendly b-corp Belazu, whom she met through friends.
Grosvenor, now the third richest man in the UK, inherited his wealth and property empire following the death of his father in 2016. He previously worked for environmental causes and runs Grosvenor Group Limited with sustainability in mind.
“We obviously have a long association with the cathedral as a family, so we were here for my father's funeral, my sister's wedding and every remembrance Sunday I can attend is here,” he said.
“But I'm incredibly excited and I also wanted to make it very clear how incredibly helpful people have been, how supportive they've been to me so far, which I'm incredibly grateful for because I realize it's going to be a big, big thing for the city.
“It will certainly be something very important for us and we are really grateful for all the help.”
The duke's sister, Lady Tamara Grosvenor, also married in the city, causing crowds to line the streets to watch her nuptials to Edward van Cutsem in 2004.
This led to a heavy police presence, which is expected to be the case this weekend as well.
Prince Harry and William attended the event, with Crewe Chronicle reporting that his arrival sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The guest list
There will reportedly be around 400 guests at the wedding, including big names like Prince William and Prince George.
As the Princess of Wales has been out of the spotlight since January, she is not expected to make an appearance, and there is speculation that neither will her youngest children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
While Grosvenor is also close to Prince Harry, the Sussexes were reportedly excluded from the guest list due to current tensions within the royal family over fears it could cause a distraction.
However, other reports have claimed that Harry was invited but decided not to attend so as not to overshadow his friend's big day.
A friend of Grosvenor told him Sunday weather: “She wishes they could put their heads together and fix things, but she realizes that's unlikely to happen before the wedding. He wanted to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia, and she doesn't want any discomfort.”
Other notable names set to appear include television historian Dan Snow, who has been married to Lady Edwina Grosvenor since 2010.
While King Charles and Camilla have been invited, it is not known if they will attend.
Prince William
The Duke is close to the royal family and is godfather to Prince George and Prince Archie.
Prince William, who was considered the best man, will be Grosvenor's usher on the big day and his starring role in the ceremony reportedly led to Harry missing the event.
“William was asked to have a prominent role in the wedding and that's what caused Harry to turn down an invitation,” a source said. Sunday's mail.
“Apparently he [Harry] “He was upset by the request when he thought it should have been him.”
As the Duke's godson, Prince George is also rumored to have a role in the ceremony, although the details of the ceremony are unknown.
A discreet future
Despite having immense wealth, Grosvenor has been described as “discreet” by his friends and, although he has some of London's most desirable postcodes at his fingertips, he plans to move in with his new wife after their wedding.
“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.”
The couple will move to Cheshire, wheremy The 33-year-old grew up in Eaton Hall before leaving to study Rural Management at Newcastle University.
He said the decision to leave the capital was “really easy.”
“It's obviously a place where we will live,” he said.
“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.”
