The ceremony in Chester. Hugh Grosvenor, godfather of Prince George, has married his partner Olivia Henson
7 June 2024
Prince William took a day off from royal duties to serve as an usher at his friend’s wedding Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster. The marriage of Grosvenor, 33 years old, one of the richest British landowners, with his partner Olivia Henson, 31 years old, is one of the biggest events of the year in the UK. William, 41, arrived with his fellow ushers at Chester Cathedral in north-west England ahead of the midday service. The venue is located near the Duke’s 10,000-acre estate, Eaton Hall, where the private wedding reception was held. Onlookers gathered outside the cathedral applauded the arrival of Grosvenor and Henson, who wore a white wedding dress by British designer Emma Victoria Payne with a long veil worn over a tiara.
Grosvenor is Prince George’s godfather, 10 years old, firstborn of William and his wife Catherine. Kate, who is being treated for cancer, is not attending the wedding and neither is William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, who lives in California with his wife Meghan and their 2 children. Grosvenor inherited the title at the age of 25, in 2016, when his father died. Sir Thomas Grosvenor, his ancestor, married heiress Mary Davies and purchased what was then a marshland in 1677. Over the generations the family developed the land into 2 of London’s wealthiest boroughs, Mayfair and Belgravia. The family’s Grosvenor Estate owns 121 hectares of land in London, as well as land across Britain and living, office and retail space around the world. The 2024 Sunday Times Rich List estimates the duke’s wealth at just over £10 billion.
