A Billionaire Millennial Duke Got Married In A Lavish Ceremony With Royal Guests. Here Are The Old-money Details You Might Have Missed.
Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson kiss as they depart their wedding at Chester Cathedral on Friday.
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- Hugh Grosvenor married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral.
- Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, is a billionaire with strong royal family ties.
- The bride wore an ancient Grosvenor tiara, and the reception took place at the family estate.
Hugh Grosvenor, one of the UK's richest men, married his partner Olivia Henson at a lavish, old-money ceremony attended by members of the royal family.
Grosvenor —known by his title Duke of Westminster — and Henson tied the knot at Chester Cathedral on Friday, followed by a reception at Eaton Hall, the family's 11-acre estate.
Though he tends to keep a low profile, the duke, 33, is well known for his royal connections. He is godson to King Charles and close friends with Prince William, who was an usher at the ceremony, according to multiple reports.
The Grosvenor family is known for its extensive real-estate portfolio that spans 340 years. Today the family is worth around $12.6 billion, according to an estimate published by The Sunday Times Rich List.
Henson, 31, has royal connections of her own. She attended Marlborough College, the private school Kate Middleton attended before meeting Prince William. Henson was classmates with William's cousin, Princess Eugenie who also attended the school, according to The Telegraph.
These days, Henson is an entrepreneur, having launched a honey business from Eaton Hall earlier this year, The Sunday Times reported. And according to Tatler, she most recently worked as a senior account manager at the sustainable food company Belazu.
The Grosvenor's old-money status was notable in every wedding detail, from the bride and groom's attire to the A-list guests.
Representatives for the Grosvenor family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Prince William and Princess Eugenie were among the 400 guests to attend the ceremony at Chester Cathedral, The Telegraph reported.
The groom has a close relationship with the royal family. He is the godson of King Charles, and a godfather to William's son, Prince George, who was born in 2013.
Kate Middleton did not attend the ceremony. The princess has temporarily stepped back from public engagements while receiving treatment for cancer.
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The duke and his three best men arrived at Chester Cathedral in a dark green landrover. Later, the bride arrived with her father, Rupert, in a 1930s vintage Bentley, The Telegraph reported.
Dave Benett/Getty Images
Henson wore an ivory silk crepe satin gown by Emma Victoria Payne, The Telegraph and Vogue reported. The floor-length gown had a keyhole back, a scalloped neckline, and three-quarter-length sleeves, with a detachable two-metre train.
The look was brought together with heirlooms from both Henson's family and the duke's family.
The veil was designed using parts of Henson's great-grandmother's veil, the reports said. It was embroidered with the couple's initials and wedding date, according to The Telegraph.
Henson also wore a Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, which belongs to the Grosvenor family and dates back to 1906, the outlet said.
The groom wore a tailcoat suit with a pink tie.
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Hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside the cathedral to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds, The Telegraph reported.
Vogue reported that the couple paid for free ice cream provided by three local businesses for the local community on the day of the wedding. They also sponsored the Summer Flowers Project, which consisted of 100,000 flowers being planted across the city.
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After the ceremony, the wedding guests were transported to the nearby Eaton Hall for a private reception.
Eaton Hall is part of the Grosvenor family's 11,000-acre estate outside Chester. It was built in the 17th century, and has belonged to the family since the 1400s, Tatler reported.
The couple plan to live in Eaton Hall after the wedding, the publication said.
"We'll be building our lives together and we're slowly transitioning to move up from London and be much more permanent here and really putting roots down," the duke said during a recent charity engagement.
"So yes, it was a really easy decision in the end."
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