04 December 2023 , 12:56
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He's the billionaire landowner who is the wealthiest person in the UK under 35 - and is set to wed in what will no doubt be one of 2024's most eagerly anticipated weddings.
However, it seems the nuptials of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, to his long-term girlfriend Olivia Henson, could also prove to be a flash point in the bitter feud of his childhood pals - Prince William and Prince Harry. It has been reported Harry and wife Meghan Markle are being excluded from the guestlist "to avoid a family clash in the House of Windsor" as among those expected to be there are William and Kate along with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
But who is the man, once described as the UK's most eligible bachelor with an estimated wealth of £9.9billion and how he did forge his royal connections? Here we take a look...
Lavish upbringing
Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor was born on January 29, 1991, in London and is the third of four children who were born to the late Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and his wife, Natalia.
Hugh Grosvenor with his late father the 6th Duke of Westminster (Chester Chronicle)He has two older sisters - Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor and Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor and a younger sister Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor. Hugh and his siblings were educated at a state primary school and then went on to study at the private Mostyn House School in Cheshire. He continued his education at Ellesmere College and then earned a degree in countryside management from Newcastle University.
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He hit the headlines when details of his lavish 21st birthday were revealed - with it reportedly costing £5million. It was held at the Grosvenors' sprawling estate, Eaton Hall near Chester, in January 2012, where Hugh was joined by a whopping 800 guests - including Prince Harry.
Royal links
The 21st birthday party hit the headlines just over a year before Hugh was asked to be Prince George's godfather by William in 2013. He attended the infant's christening at St James's Palace in London after being chosen as the youngest of the royal baby’s seven godparents.
Hugh with Prince William in 2018 (Getty Images)Among George's other godparents are William's cousin Zara Tindall and Princess Diana's friend Julia Samuel. Hugh's late father was a good friend of King Charles and there are close links between the two families.
Meanwhile, it has now been reported that Hugh is also a godfather to Harry's son Prince Archie. Four-year-old Archie was christened in July 2019 and at the time there was an outcry that his godparents were not revealed, as per usual royal tradition. It has since been reported that along with Hugh they are Tiggy Pettifer - formerly Legge-Bourke - who was nanny to young William and Harry; King Charles' former equerry Mark Dyer; and Harry's close friend Charlie van Straubenzee.
Becoming a Duke
Hugh became the 7th Duke of Westminster when his father sadly died from a heart attack at the age of 64 in 2016. At the time of his succession, he inherited an estimated wealth of £9billion and gained several new estates.
The Duke at the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre in Nottinghamshire (PA)He became the head of The Grosvenor Group, which means he owns several huge areas of London, as well as land and over 1,500 buildings all across the world. In London, the group owns Park Lane, half of Mayfair and 300 acres of Belgravia.
The family also has several enormous estates that include Eaton Hall in Cheshire and the Abbeystead Estate in Lancashire, as well as homes in Scotland and Spain. Some of the most notable buildings owned by the group include the Liverpool One shopping centre, a residential tower in Tokyo, a large chunk of Silicon Valley in California and Annacis Island, near Vancouver.
Earlier this year, he was named the wealthiest person in the UK under the age of 35. He is also the 11th richest person in the UK overall, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2023. Over the years, he has also led a campaign for the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, which was initiated by his father and continues to support the rehabilitation of seriously wounded or injured members of the Armed Forces.
He has also represented Team GB at Olympic Skeet Shooting competitions overseas and in the UK. In 2020, the Duke donated £12.5million to the UK's coronavirus relief effort. Speaking at the time, he said: "On behalf of my family and everyone at the Grosvenor Estate, I want to say a huge thank you to all our amazing NHS staff and everyone providing critical frontline services."
Pending marriage
Back in April, it was announced that Hugh had become engaged to his girlfriend of two years Olivia Henson. The couple said in a statement: "The Duke of Westminster and Miss Olivia Henson are delighted to announce they are engaged to be married.
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The Duke is engaged to Olivia Henson (PA)
The Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor (UK Press via Getty Images)"The couple, who have been together for two years, recently became engaged at the Duke's family home at Eaton Hall in Cheshire. Members of both their families are absolutely delighted with the news."
Guestlist woes
The wedding is believed to be taking place at Chester Cathedral in June 2024 in what is being billed as the society event of the year. However, there is said to be no invite for Harry and Meghan.
They have reportedly excluded from the guest list although King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales are said to have been invited. A friend of William and Harry’s told The Times: "It’s incredibly sad it has come to this. Hugh is one of very few close friends of William and Harry’s who has maintained strong bonds and a line of communication with both.
"He wishes they could put their heads together and patch things up, but realises it’s unlikely to happen before the wedding. He wanted to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia, and doesn’t want any awkwardness.” A spokesman for Grosvenor told The Times: “We are not in a position to comment on the guest list.”