The Duke of Westminster and his fiancée have said the decision to get married at Chester Cathedral next month was a "really easy" one.
Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, will tie the knot with Duchess-to-be Olivia Henson in what is expected to be a grand occasion for the city, with invitations sent out to members of the Royal Family.
The scenes are expected to echo the marriage of Lady Tamara Grosvenor and Edward van Cutsem at Chester Cathedral in November 2004, where thousands of onlookers lined the streets as they saw Royal guests including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Prince William and Prince Harry arrive.
Preparations for the big day on June 7 are well under way, and while the duke acknowledged it's likely to be "nerve-racking", he added he was "unbelievably excited".
He made the comments during a visit to the cathedral on Tuesday, May 7 as part of a tour of charity causes backed by the Westminster Foundation, which the 33-year-old duke chairs.
During the tour he watched, with Miss Henson, a Small Sounds session led by Cathy Dew, in which parents and toddlers enjoyed a combination of music and sensory play.
he Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson watch the Small Sounds pilot session led by Cathy Dew. Photo: Simon Warburton.
Delivered by national charity The Cathedral Music Trust, the programme also trains music staff to develop their skills and experience in early years practice. The session that the Duke and Miss Henson joined was run by the trust, which will later train the cathedral’s own music team to enable them to run subsequent Small Sounds sessions.
The pilot session took place at the cathedral's Song School, a place officially opened by the previous Duke of Westminster Gerald Grosvenor, Hugh's father, in 2005 following its renovation.
The duke, speaking to The Standard, said: "We've obviously got a long association with the cathedral as a family, so we were here for my father's memorial, my sister's wedding, and every Remembrance Sunday that I can attend is here."
His Grace The Duke of Westminster and fiancée Olivia Henson, see the plaque honouring his father opening Chester Cathedral's Song School. Photo: Simon Warburton.
Acknowledging the plaque which marks the Song School's official opening, he added: "It's amazing to see it and certainly hits home, every time you turn a corner on the cathedral and you see a little nod to the family."
Speaking about the wedding, the duke said: "I think next time we're in here will be slightly more nerve-racking!
"But I'm unbelievably excited and I also 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 because I do realise that it's going to be a big, big thing for the city.
"It's going to be certainly a huge thing for us, and we're grateful for all the help really."
Asked about if it was an easy decision to hold the wedding at Chester Cathedral, Miss Henson said: "It was actually. It's obviously a place where we will live. 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.
"So yes, it was a really easy decision in the end."
The duke added "It definitely was for me!"
Looking on at the Small Sounds session are the Duke of Westminster, Olivia Henson, Revd Canon Rosie Woodall and the Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford. Photo: Simon Warburton.
The duke, through the Westminster Foundation, has recently donated to the Chester Cathedral Project Discovery initiative, supporting the cathedral’s vision to expand its cultural offer and help connect further with city communities.
Cathy Dew, programme director at the Cathedral Music Trust, said of the Small Sounds initiative: "Cathedral Music Trust is passionate about choral music and its power to connect people at all stages of life.
"Our Small Sounds programme is the beginning of that journey and we are launching the project here in Chester in September.
"Small Sounds will provide free weekly music groups for little ones aged 0-5 years and their families in six cathedrals – including Chester Cathedral – in the project’s first year."
Canon Rosie Woodall, Canon for Spirituality and Worship at Chester Cathedral, added: "The Small Sounds initiative will help us to introduce the joy of singing to today’s children, encouraging them on a life-long journey of musical discovery, and helping Chester Cathedral to play a part in maintaining the heritage skill of choral music."
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