Duke of Westminster: Royals attend wedding of ‘Britain’s most eligible bachelor’ – who was there (and who wasn’t)?
The Duke of Westminster has lost his unofficial title, “Britain’s most eligible bachelor”, after marrying Olivia Henson.
Hugh Grosvenor, 33, who ranked 14th on the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £10.1bn, has made his bride a duchess after marrying her at Chester Cathedral today.
The largely private couple only made their first public appearance together last month, but their wedding has been one of the most prestigious social events of the year, with esteemed guests such as Prince William attending.
The scenes outside the cathedral ahead of the ceremony. Pic: PA
The duke arrived at the ceremony in a green Land Rover and waved to crowds who were waiting in the streets outside the cathedral.
Miss Henson travelled to her wedding with her father Rupert Henson in a vintage Bentley that was originally made for W.O. Bentley, the founder of Bentley Motors, in 1930.
The Duke of Westminster waves to crowd as he arrives at Chester Cathedral. Pic: PA
Olivia Henson arrived with her father
Thousands lined the streets of Chester to catch a glimpse of the event from early in the morning, with many bringing camping chairs and picnics.
It was already packed when the Prince of Wales, an usher at the wedding, arrived at the cathedral at about 10.30am – so much so that he entered the cathedral through a side entrance to avoid being seen.
Later on around 400 guests, including Princess Eugenie, were brought to the venue in coaches.
Prince William, an usher, seen after the ceremony. Pic: PA
Princess Eugenie leaves Chester Cathedral after the wedding. Pic: PA
King Charles, who is the duke’s godfather, wasn’t one of them, nor was the Queen.
The King has scaled back his public appearances since he started being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, though he and the Queen were in France for the D-Day commemorations yesterday.
The Princess of Wales didn’t attend either as she continues to undergo her cancer treatment.
The Duke of Sussex was not there despite reportedly being being a close friend of Hugh Grosvenor’s, who is a godfather to Prince Harry’s son Archie.
The Duke of Westminster’s links to the Royal Family
Protesters target event
A fire extinguisher was set off outside the cathedral as the bride and groom made their way to a Bentley car.
Two women sprayed orange powder paint in the air from the extinguisher while standing among a crowd of spectators, with police officers wrestling it from them and escorting them away seconds later.
The environmental protest group Just Stop Oil has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Orange smoke sprayed above the crowd. Pic: Just Stop Oil
The wedding arrangements
The ceremony at Chester Cathedral began at midday, with the Dean of Chester, the Very Reverand Dr Tim Stratford, leading the service.
It featured the Chester Cathedral choir, conducted by Philip Rushforth, organist and master of the choristers at the church. They were accompanied by a group of musicians from across North West England.
The car the bride arrived in. Pic: PA
A spokesperson for the Duke and Miss Henson said the couple chose seasonal flowers sourced from local growers, with much of the foliage coming from the grounds of the Duke’s Eaton Estate.
They included rambling roses, philadelphus, campanula and orlaya grandiflora, while birch trees lined the inside of the church, the spokesperson added.
After the ceremony, the Duke and Duchess of Westminster travelled back to Eaton Estate, which has been home to the Grosvenor family since the 1400s, where they are hosting a private wedding reception for guests.
Their spokesperson said the couple had taken “a great deal of care in planning the wedding, putting their own personal stamp on all the arrangements and have made a conscious effort to involve local and regional suppliers in several aspects of the day”.
Who is the new Duchess of Westminster?
The 31-year-old had been with the duke for two years when the pair announced their engagement in April 2023.
The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson shared this image as part of their engagement announcement. Pic: PA
Much like her husband, the duchess largely stays out of the public eye. What we do know is she’s a senior accounts manager at Belazu, an ethical food company based in London, and she was introduced to the duke through mutual friends.
She is widely reported to have studied at Marlborough College – the same as the Princess of Wales and Pippa Middleton.
‘Britain’s most eligible bachelor’
The duke became an instant billionaire when he inherited his title and control of the historic Grosvenor Estate aged 25 following the death of his father from a heart attack in 2016.
Pic: PA
As part of the estimated £10bn estate, the duke, previously known by his honorary title Earl Grosvenor, also inherited Eaton Hall in Cheshire – home to the Grosvenor family since the 15th century.
It’s where his notably casual engagement photo with his then fiancé was taken last year.
The duke, a former student of countryside management at Newcastle University, is one of four children: He has two older sisters, Lady Tamara and Lady Edwina, and one younger sister Lady Viola.
He inherited his father’s fortune despite not being the eldest of them as legitimate male heirs take precedence over their older sisters when it comes to inheriting an estate.
Hugh Grosvenor’s sister Lady Tamara married her husband Edward van Cutsem at Chester Cathedral in 2004. Pic: AP
The property company he inherited, the Grosvenor Group, owns about 300 acres of land in Mayfair and Belgravia in central London, as well as major city centre developments such as Liverpool’s ONE shopping centre and properties in the US and Canada.
The billionaire, who was widely dubbed Britain’s most eligible bachelor after inheriting the fortune, is chair of both the Grosvenor Trustees and the Westminster Foundation, which represents his and the Grosvenor Group’s charitable interests.
Grosvenor Square in Mayfair is the second largest square in London. Pic: Wolfram Kastl/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Grosvenor Group owns Liverpool ONE, a shopping centre with more than 170 stores. Pic: PA
When he does occasionally make headlines, it’s usually down to his charitable role. Such was the case in 2020 when he donated millions to the national effort against COVID.
‘You can feel the positive energy coming from them’
It can be difficult for the public to get to know a couple like the duke and duchess, who like to stay out of the limelight.
They made a rare public outing last month when they attended a parent-toddler music programme at Chester Cathedral.
It was a chance for them to see one of the many charitable programmes for young people they support through the duke’s Westminster Foundation.
Emma Thomas, a development artist at Cheshire Dance, which runs the programme, not only met the couple on their visit, but also went to primary school with Hugh Grosvenor.
Ms Thomas said they had a very “relaxed” and “approachable” quality to them on their visit, adding: “They seem very comfortable together and you could feel the really positive energy coming from them.”
Hugh Grosvenor. Pic: PA
She said the duke was “so enthusiastic about bringing opportunities for young people” and that it’s “wonderful to hear him talk so genuinely and passionately about that work”.
“The duke was absolutely wonderful” with the children there, she added. “So approachable, so engaging. I think it could be very easy to not be like that.
“But he was wonderful and he gave the kids a really great experience. I think they were very nervous to meet him, and he made it feel very relaxed.”
She added the duchess was “asking lots of questions” and “really valuing the voices of the children”.
A good end to a good day
Ms Thomas also reminisced with the duke about their time attending Eccleston C of E Primary School together.
She was a few year groups older but saw a fair amount of the duke because he and her younger brother were friends.
She recalls a birthday party they both went to when they were about six or seven – where they had a tour of Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.
“He was quite a calm kid, but he loved Liverpool so much. The enthusiasm!”
She said she fondly recalls going to McDonald’s with the duke after visiting the stadium.
Wedding of the year?
Despite keeping a low profile, the wedding wasn’t the first lavish event the duke has thrown.
His 21st birthday party for 800 guests at Eaton Hall in 2012 was reported to have cost £5m.
Comedian Michael McIntyre and hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks provided the entertainment, and Prince Harry was among the guests for the “black tie and neon” event.
On his wedding plans, the duke told Town & Country Magazine during the Chester Cathedral visit: “I think next time we’re in here will be slightly more nerve-wracking.”
He added he was “unbelievably excited”.
“I also just wanted to make it very clear how unbelievably helpful people have been, how supportive they’ve been so far which I’m unbelievably grateful for,” he told the publication.
“Because I do realise that it’s going to be a big thing for the city. It’s going to be certainly a huge thing for us, so we’re just really grateful for all the help.”
On holding the wedding in Chester, the bride added: “It’s obviously a place where we will live, where we’ll be building our lives together.”
The pair currently live in London and are “slowly transitioning” to Chester where they plan to put “roots down”, she added, saying it was a “really easy decision” to have the wedding there.
Shortly after their engagement announcement last year, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The couple have chosen the cathedral for both its beauty and long association with the Grosvenor family, including to the duke personally.
“Cheshire is the Grosvenor family’s ancestral home and as Miss Henson’s connection to the region continues to grow, they are keen to plan their wedding there.”
Royal relationships
The Grosvenors have been aristocrats for centuries, as they began building their property empire in London back in the 1600s.
To cut a several hundred-year story short, Hugh Grosvenor’s ancestor Hugh Lupus Grosvenor was made the first Duke of Westminster by Queen Victoria in 1874. The current holder of the title is the seventh Duke of Westminster.
However, the Grosvenor family’s modern relationship with the royals goes beyond peerage.
The sixth Duke of Westminster – the current duke’s father – with Queen Elizabeth II in 2004. Pic: PA
The duke’s late father Gerald Grosvenor was a close friend of King Charles before his death in 2016.
They were so close that Gerald Grosvenor made the King a godfather of his son Hugh when he was born in 1991.
Now the duke is a godfather himself to Prince William’s eldest child, Prince George, and Prince Harry’s son Prince Archie.
He is said to have maintained relationships with both brothers over the years, but Prince Harry did not attend the duke’s wedding.
Some reports have suggested he and his wife Meghan were not on the guest list, adding the duke was concerned their presence would take away from the wedding itself due to their ongoing rift with the rest of the Royal Family.
Other reports suggested Harry and Meghan were sent a ‘save the date’ but decided to decline in order to prevent any awkwardness.
Motorists warned – and ice-creams on the happy couple
Chester’s council warned the city will be busier than usual on Friday due to the wedding, and urged people to “rethink journeys into the city centre” today.
In an update on X, the council added it would be best to avoid travelling to the centre by car.
The couple are also supporting local businesses by subsidising free ice-cream, gelato and sorbet on their wedding day from three local dessert parlours.
Duke of Westminster’s fortune explained
The duke has been featuring on rich lists since he inherited his father’s billion-pound fortune.
As Sky News’ business presenter Ian King explains: “While the Grosvenor family is automatically linked in many people’s eyes to properties in west London’s upmarket Mayfair and Belgravia districts, such assets are only part of the wider Grosvenor Group, the company that manages the Duke of Westminster’s wealth.
“The business now encompasses a range of assets and activities, including property in the UK and overseas, investments in food producers and agricultural technology companies and three large rural estates in northern England and the Scottish Highlands.”
Grosvenor Group owns buildings, squares and public spaces in Belgravia and Mayfair. Pic: iStock
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King adds: “The business is owned by a series of UK resident (in other words, onshore) trusts set up by the family in the 1950s to shield itself from the risk of expensive divorces or reckless spending by wayward members of the family.
The arrangement means that, although the duke and his family are the ultimate owners of Grosvenor, he is not able, for example, to sell assets if he felt the need to raise cash. Major transactions such as asset disposals have to be agreed by the trustees.
“Contrary to what is often suggested, the family are all UK-registered for tax and pay UK taxes, while the trusts are liable for income tax and capital gains tax.
“They are also liable for inheritance tax levied by the UK government, although, as is common with UK trusts of this type, the majority of the trusts pay a recurring payment to HM Revenue & Customs of 6% of the value of their assets every 10 years, rather than a payment of 40% inheritance tax upon death of beneficiaries.
“For a private company, Grosvenor is unusually open about its activities, publishing annual reports and financial statements in the way a listed company would.
“Its latest results, for 2023, revealed a £400m drop in the value of the group’s portfolio to £8.6bn. That portfolio is split roughly 50/50 between UK and international assets. A pre-tax loss of £28.6m for the year compared with a profit of £110.4m in 2022.”
A woman who is under police investigation after assisting the suicide of her husband at Dignitas in Switzerland has told Sky News she has no regrets.
Louise Shackleton has spoken publicly for the first time since her husband’s death in December, as parliament prepares to vote again on legislation to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales.
Mrs Shackleton surrendered herself to police after returning from Switzerland having seen her husband Anthony die. He had been suffering with motor neurone disease for six years.
“I have committed a crime, which I have admitted to, of assisting him by simply pushing him on to a plane and being with him, which I don’t regret for one moment. He was my husband and I loved him,” she said.
“We talked at length over two years about this. What he said to me on many occasions is ‘look at my options, look at what my options are. I can either go there and I can die peacefully, with grace, without pain, without suffering or I could be laid in a bed not being able to move, not even being able to look at anything unless you move my head’.
“He didn’t have options. What he wanted was nothing more than a good death.”
The law in the UK prohibits people from assisting in the suicide of others, but prosecutions have been rare.
Louise Shackleton has spoken publicly for the first time since her husband Anthony’s death
In a statement, a North Yorkshire Police spokesman told Sky News: “The investigation is ongoing. There is nothing further to add at this stage.”
The next vote on the assisted dying bill for England and Wales has been delayed by three weeks to give MPs time to consider amendments.
The legislation would permit a person who is terminally ill with less than six months to live to legally end their life after approval by two doctors and an expert panel.
‘He was at total peace with his decision’
Mrs Shackleton says she saw her husband “physically and mentally” relax once on the flight to Switzerland.
She said: “We had the most wonderful four days.
“He was laughing. He was at total peace with his decision.
“It was in those four days that I realised that he wanted the peaceful death more than he wanted to suffer and stay with me, which was hard, but that’s how resolute he was in having this peace.
“I was his wife, we’d been together 25 years, we’d known each other since we were 18. I couldn’t do anything else but help him.”
‘We need to safeguard people’
She said the hardest part of the journey came after her husband’s death.
“There was this panic and this fear that I was leaving him,” she said. “That was a horrific experience.
“If the law had changed in this country, I would have been with family, family would have been with us, family would’ve been with him. But as it was, that couldn’t happen.”
Opponents to the assisted dying bill have raised concerns about the safety of vulnerable people and the risk of coercion and a change in attitudes toward the elderly, seriously ill and disabled.
They say improvements to palliative care should be a priority.
“I think that we need to safeguard people,” said Mrs Shackleton. “I think that sometimes we need to suffer other people’s choices, and when I mean suffer I mean we have to acknowledge that whilst we’re not comfortable with those, that we need to respect other people, other people wishes.”
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Anthony, who died aged 59, was a furniture restorer who had earned worldwide recognition for making rocking horses.
“I think the measure of the man is that nobody has ever said a bad word about him in the whole of his life because he was just so caring and giving,” his widow said.
‘This is about a dying person’s choice’
She said she had chosen to speak publicly because of a promise she had made him.
“I felt that my husband’s journey shouldn’t be in vain. We discussed this on our last day and my husband made me promise to tell his story.
“He told me to fight and the simple thing that I’m fighting for is people to have the choice.
“This is about a dying person’s choice to either follow their journey through with disease or to die peacefully when they want to, on their terms, and have a good death. It’s that simple.”
UK
Feminists ‘feel braver about speaking out’ after gender ruling – but critics say it ‘stokes culture war’
A former Labour MP who quit the party over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership has welcomed the landmark Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman as a “victory for feminists”.
Rosie Duffield, now the independent MP for Canterbury, said the judgment helped resolve the “lack of clarity” that has existed in the politics around the issue “for years”.
She was speaking to Ali Fortescue on the Politics Hub on the same day the UK’s highest court delivered its verdict on one of the most contentious debates in politics.
Politics latest: MPs respond to Supreme Court ruling on gender
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How do you define a woman in law?
The judges were asked to rule on how “sex” is defined in the 2010 Equality Act – whether that means biological sex or “certificated” sex, as legally defined by the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.
Their unanimous decision was that the definition of a “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to “a biological woman and biological sex”.
Asked what she made about comments by fellow independent MP John McDonnell – who said the court “failed to hear the voice of a single trans person” and that the decision “lacked humanity and fairness” as a result, she said: “This ruling doesn’t affect trans people in the slightest.
“It’s about women’s rights – women’s rights to single sex spaces, women’s rights, not to be discriminated against.
“It literally doesn’t change a single thing for trans rights and that lack of understanding from a senior politician about the law is a bit worrying, actually.”
However, Maggie Chapman, a Scottish Green MSP, disagreed with Ms Duffield and said she was “concerned” about the impact the ruling would have on trans people “and for the services and facilities they have been using and have had access to for decades now”.
Susan Smith and Marion Calder, directors of For Women Scotland celebrate after the ruling. Pic: Reuters
“One of the grave concerns that we have with this ruling is that it will embolden people to challenge trans people who have every right to access services,” she said.
“We know that over the last few years… their [trans people’s] lives have become increasingly difficult, they have been blocked from accessing services they need.”
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‘Today’s ruling only stokes the culture war further’
Delivering the ruling at the London court on Wednesday, Lord Hodge said: “But we counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another. It is not.
Campaigners celebrate outside the Supreme Court. Pic: PA
“The Equality Act 2010 gives transgender people protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender.
“This is the application of the principle of discrimination by association. Those statutory protections are available to transgender people, whether or not they possess a gender recognition certificate.”
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Asked whether she believed the judgment could “draw a line” under the culture war, Ms Chapman told Fortescue: “Today’s judgment only stokes that culture war further.”
And she said that while Lord Hodge was correct to say there were protections in law for trans people in the 2020 Equality Act, the judgment “doesn’t prevent things happening”.
“It may offer protections once bad things have happened, once harassment, once discrimination, once bigotry, once assaults have happened,” she said.
She also warned some groups “aren’t going to be satisfied with today’s ruling”.
“We know that there are individuals and there are groups who actually want to roll back even further – they want to get rid of the Gender Recognition Act from 2004,” she said.
“I think today’s ruling just emboldens those views.”
Arsenal have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League after a dramatic victory over holders Real Madrid in Spain.
The north London side, who became the first English team to win twice at the Bernabeu following their triumph there 19 years ago, will face Paris Saint-Germain in the last four after the French side beat Aston Villa on Tuesday.
It is the third time the Gunners have made it through to the semis of the top club football tournament in Europe, and the first since 2009.
Arsenal went into the second leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday with a 3-0 lead.
Backed by a raucous home crowd, Madrid tried to get off to a strong start and Kylian Mbappe scored after two minutes. However, the goal was disallowed for a clear offside.
Arsenal had the chance to go ahead in the 13th minute but winger Bukayo Saka missed a penalty.
The Spanish hosts were awarded a penalty of their own about 10 minutes later when Mbappe stumbled under pressure from Declan Rice in the box – but the decision was overturned by VAR.
Saka atoned for his tepid penalty as he chipped the ball past Madrid’s keeper Thibaut Courtois when put through on goal by auxiliary striker Mikel Merino in the 65th minute.
But Arsenal were pegged back just two minutes later as Vinicius Junior caught William Saliba dawdling on the ball and fired Real Madrid level.
Arsenal’s resolute defending kept the home side at bay until Gabriel Martinelli made a late break through the home side’s defence to put his side 2-1 ahead three minutes into injury time, as the Gunners made it 5-1 on aggregate.
(L-R) Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Mikel Merino celebrate after the defeat against Real Madrid. Pic: AP
‘We knew we were going to win’, says Rice
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has insisted his team are intent on winning the Champions League after their victory in Madrid.
Speaking to TNT Sport, Rice, who was named player of the match, said: “It’s such a special night, a historic one for the club. We have the objective of playing the best and winning the competition.
“We had so much belief and confidence from that first leg and came here to win the game. We knew we were going to suffer but we knew we were going to win. We had it in our minds, then we did it [in] real life. What a night.
“I knew when I signed, this club was on an upward trajectory. It’s been tough in the Premier League but in this competition we’ve done amazingly well.
“It’s PSG next, who are an amazing team.”
‘We have to be very proud of ourselves’, says Arteta
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told TNT Sport: “One of the best nights in my football career.
“We played against a team with the biggest history.
“To be able to win the tie in the manner we have done, I think we have to be very proud of ourselves.”
He added: “The history we have in this competition is so short. The third time in our history of what we have just done and we have to build on that. All this experience is going to help us, for sure.”
Real Madrid were seeking their third Champions League title in four seasons.
Mbappe twisted ankle
Their forward Mbappe twisted his right ankle during the game and was jeered by part of the crowd when his substitution was announced after a lacklustre performance.
The French star, who is still looking for his first Champions League title, was replaced by Brahim Diaz in the 75th minute following his injury. He was able to walk off the pitch by himself, but was limping slightly.
The other semi-final will be between Barcelona and Inter Milan.
The first legs are set to be played on 29 and 30 April, with the second legs on 6 and 7 May.
The final will be on 31 May.
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