The Prince of Wales will serve as an usher to close pal Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, at his wedding in Chester Cathedral today – but Harry won’t be attending
Prince William will serve as an usher to his close friend Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, who is set to marry his fiancée Olivia Henson in Chester Cathedral today in what has been dubbed the society wedding of the year.
The 33-year-old is the richest person under the age of 40 in the UK, and the 14th wealthiest person overall, boasting an immense £10bn fortune making him richer than his godfather King Charles.
The Prince of Wales will attend the wedding as an usher, and the Duke’s godson, Prince George, will also reportedly play a “prominent” role at the lavish ceremony. Meanwhile, Prince Harry and the Duke of Westminster have came to a “mutual” understanding that he would not be attending his wedding, it has been claimed.
It was previously reported that the Duke of Sussex turned down a “save the date” invite to avoid an “awkward” encounter with family members he is no longer on good terms with who are due to attend.
This comes after a source told Express that Harry was “triggered” to decline the invitation when he got word about William taking on the big role of being an usher at the wedding. The source said: “William was asked to take up a leading role in the wedding and that’s what triggered Harry to decline an invitation. It was the final nail in the coffin.”
The Princess of Wales, who has been out of the spotlight as she undergoes treatment for cancer, is not expected to attend. The King, the groom’s godfather, and Queen are not due to be at the ceremony either, having been at D-Day commemorations in France on Thursday.
It is believed that 400 guests will pack into Chester Cathedral for the wedding ceremony, which is set to kick of at noon today, including big names like Prince William and Prince George.
The happy couple’s family and friends are likely to be there including his three sisters Lady Tamara, Lady Viola and Lady Edwina, who is married to TV historian Dan Snow.
Despite having been invited, King Charles, the groom’s godfather, and Queen are not due to be at the ceremony either, having been at D-Day commemorations in France on Thursday.
The Princess of Wales, who has been out of the spotlight as she undergoes treatment for cancer, is not expected to attend.
Hugh Grosvenor, 33, is the richest person under the age of 40 in the UK with a net worth of £10.127bn, according to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List.
He was born on January 29, 1991, in London and is the third of four children born to the late Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and his wife, Natalia, also known as Tally, a descendant of George II and the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.
Grosvenor’s life changed back in 2016 when his father died suddenly from a heart attack. At that moment, the then 25-year-old became one of the country’s wealthiest landowners, inheriting an immense property portfolio that spans land in the capital’s most prestigious postcodes – including half of Mayfair and 300 acres of Belgravia.
The source of the immense wealth comes from The Grosvenor Group, whose holdings also include the American Embassy, estates in Scotland and Spain, Liverpool city centre, Tokyo apartment blocks, a ‘large chunk’ of Silicon Valley, and the entirety of Annacis Island, just off Vancouver.
According to Tatler, the Grosvenor family money primarily dates back to the 1600s, when they first began buying land in London.
Hugh Grosvenor is the seventh Duke of Westminster. The dukedom was given to Hugh Grosvenor, the third Marquess of Westminster, by Queen Victoria back in 1847.
Prince Harry is set to miss the wedding of his close pal, the Duke of Westminster, after the pair came to a “mutual” understanding that he would not be attending, it has been reported.
Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, is a close friend of brothers William and Harry, with his wedding due to take place today at Chester Cathedral. Hugh will wed his fiancée Olivia Henson, 31, in what is considered to be the society wedding of the year.
The 33-year-old groom, although not a royal himself, has long had close associations with the monarchy. He is the godfather of both William and Kate’s eldest son, Prince George, 10, and Harry’s son, Archie, five.
Speaking to People magazine, a source close to Harry said he declined his invitation to the wedding to avoid an awkward encounter with family members he is no longer on good terms with who are due to attend.
