Thousands of people are expected to line Chester city centre streets on Friday as the Duke of Westminster will marry Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral.

Members of the Royal family are expected to attend the service, due to begin at noon.

But who are the Duke of Westminster and Duchess-to-be Olivia Henson?

Hugh Grosvenor, 33, became the Duke of Westminster upon the death of his father, Gerald Grosvenor, in 2016. The Grosvenor family have an estimated net worth of £10.1 billion.

He is chair of both the Grosvenor Trustees and the Westminster Foundation, which represents the charitable interests of the Duke and Grosvenor businesses.

Recently, the Duke and Miss Henson toured Chester city centre to visit three projects which had benefitted from new, lasting partnerships with the foundation. They were Cheshire Dance, Storyhouse's Young Leaders and the Cathedral Music Trust.

 

The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson hear the experiences of how young people have benefitted being part of the Storyhouse Young Leaders programme.

The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson hear the experiences of how young people have benefitted being part of the Storyhouse Young Leaders programme.

 

On average, the Foundation commits around £6 million-£7 million through more than 200 grants per year. During the pandemic, the Westminster Foundation committed £12.5 million in grants, in addition to its usual grant giving programme.

Alongside the Grosvenor Trustees he is responsible for Grosvenor’s commercial and Family Office and Rural Estates activities, including matters relating to purpose, values, long-term strategy and, ultimately, success. The Trustees act as legal owners of a series of UK resident trusts, the beneficiaries of which are both current and future members of the Grosvenor family.

The Duke is also president of national charity, the Country Trust, and has led a major fundraising campaign for the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, which was initiated by his father and continues to support the rehabilitation of seriously wounded or injured members of the Armed Forces. The Duke and his family have personally gifted £105m towards the programme.

The Defence clinical rehabilitation facility, to replace Headley Court and located near Loughborough, is now operational. The Duke remains closely involved in the creation of the National NHS specialist facility for civilians on the same site.

He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire in 2023 in recognition of his ongoing support to the county, both as chair of Grosvenor and the Westminster Foundation.

Outside of his business and philanthropic work, the Duke represents Team GB at Olympic Skeet Shooting competitions overseas and in the UK and continues to pursue his ambitions as an elite sportsman.

Fiancée Olivia Henson grew up in London and Oxfordshire. She attended Marlborough College, followed by Trinity College Dublin, where she studied Hispanic Studies and Italian.

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She has built her career in the sustainable food sector, marked most recently by her role at Belazu, an artisanal food company in London where she worked from 2019 until recently.

Before Belazu, Miss Henson worked for other organisations within the sustainable food and drinks industry, including Daily Dose – a company dedicated to pressed juices with a focus on wellness and nutrition.

Miss Henson's professional pursuits are closely intertwined with her personal passions for health, nutrition, and the environment, driving her to champion sustainable practices in food consumption and production.

She also has a strong interest in creating positive social impact more widely, displayed through her role on the Board of Trustees of the Belazu Foundation, which works with communities in the UK and around the Mediterranean promoting education and healthy eating to inspire future generations.

 

Hugh Grosvenor, with Olivia Henson, view the plaque honouring the dukes father when he opened the cathedrals Song School in 2005.

Hugh Grosvenor, with Olivia Henson, view the plaque honouring the duke's father when he opened the cathedral's Song School in 2005.

 

The happy couple, whose engagement at Eaton Hall was announced in April last year, chose Chester Cathedral as the wedding venue due to the Duke's long-standing connection to the city and the couple laying down the foundations for their future in Chester.

While many city centre roads will be closed for the occasion, traders are reminding visitors they are still open, and encourage them to shop and dine in the city. Friday's weather is expected to feature sunshine and showers.

Free ice cream and gelato will be available for crowds from independent businesses Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, Diddy Donuts and Krum Gelato, in a move subsidised by the Duke and Miss Henson. The couple are also funding the city’s Summer Flowers project, arranged by Chester’s Business Improvement District (BID), that will see more than 100,000 flowers planted in displays across the city in the coming weeks.