26 November 2023 , 17:28
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One of Britain's wealthiest aristocrats has had thousands of pounds' worth of watches stolen after having workers in to decorate his home, it has emerged.
Billionaire and Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor, who is godfather to Prince George, reported a £30,000 Cartier London Tank JC wristwatch stolen, court documents show. He also had a Panerai Luminor Marina watch and a Breitling watch each worth £6,000 taken in the burglary at his Cheshire country house, Eaton Hall.
It's understood the 32-year-old was having decorating done at the stately home and didn't notice the watches were missing until three weeks later. The Duke has an estimated net worth of £9.42billion, making him one of the country's youngest billionaires, which was inherited following the death of his father, Gerald, in 2016.
The burglary occurred at the 10,872-acre estate in August, with two men having now been arrested and charged in connection. Matthew Turner, 24, of Great Sutton, near Ellesmere Port, Merseyside, pleaded guilty to burglary between August 7 and August 31, 2022, at a hearing at Chester magistrates court this week. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated theft of £60 from a tyre shop.
The watches were taken from the Duke's bedroom at Eaton Hall (Chester Chronicle)Nathan Elliot, 30, also of Ellesmere Port, was charged with the handling the stolen Cartier but pleaded not guilty and will re-appear before the crown for a plea on December 22. Turner meanwhile will be sentenced at Chester crown court at a later date.
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The Duke, who is also the King's godson, was named on The Sunday Times Rich List 2023 as the eleventh richest person in Britain. He announced his engagement to fiancée Olivia Henson in April this year, with the couple due to be married in June.
His wealth and title, estimated by Bloomberg, was inherited from father Gerald Grosvenor, the sixth generation of the title which was originally created by Queen Victoria in 1874. As well as Eaton Hall, the family also has seats at Abbeystead House, Lancashire, Halkyn Castle in Flintshire and a London townhouse on swanky Park Lane.