The society wedding of the year is here as the Duke Of Westminster prepares to marry his bride-to-be Olivia Henson in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by their loved ones.
Hugh Grosvenor, 33, is one of the richest men in the UK, boasting an impressive net worth of £10.127 billion, as revealed by the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List. He was once considered the country’s most eligible bachelor, but will now officially be off the market.
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The 7th Duke of Westminster and his partner of two years Olivia will tie the knot in Chester Cathedral in a service which will take place at 12pm on Friday.
Ahead of the ceremony, new details about the big day have been released. Find out everything you need to know here…
Who is leading the ceremony?
The ceremony will be held inside Chester Cathedral, and will be conducted by Tim Stratford, the Dean of Chester in the Church of England. Also present will be The Right Revd Mark Tanner who will preach and Revd Canon Rosie Woodall, who will lead prayers.
Tim has been Dean of Chester since September 2018, arriving to the parish as an experienced priest and published author.
The couple seen in Chester ahead of their big day
The Dean shared with HELLO! the significance of holding Olivia’s wedding at the Duke’s family church, highlighting Chester as a place she “has fallen in love with.” He also expressed his pride in the couple for choosing this special venue for their wedding.
Chester Cathedral is the same venue where Hugh’s elder sister, Lady Tamara, married in 2004.
The wedding will take place at Chester Cathedral
Royal guests
Prince William will be representing his family, and will be taking on the role of usher. His wife Princess Kate has no doubt remained at home in Windsor with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are all at school.
Prince William will not be joined by his family
Many royal fans had speculated that Prince William and Kate’s eldest son, Prince George, who is also the Duke’s godson, would attend the wedding and possibly act as a page boy.
It is not known whether King Charles and Queen Camilla, who also enjoy a close relationship with the Grosvenor family, will attend but so far only William is poised to go.
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Music
The service will be sung by the Chester Cathedral Choir, conducted by Philip Rushforth, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chester Cathedral. They will be accompanied by a group of musicians from North West England.
Floral decorations
Delivery vans carrying supplies, such as flowers, have been spotted arriving at the Grade I-listed cathedral, while scaffolding has also been erected outside the venue.
Trees were brought into Chester Cathedral for the wedding
Among the flowers that will go on display for the upcoming wedding include include rambling roses, philadelphus, campanula and orlaya grandiflora and birch trees will line the insides of Chester Cathedral. Following the wedding, the trees will be returned to the estate while the flowers will be repurposed and distributed to local organisations.
The bride and groom chose flowers from local growers through the ‘Flowers from the Farm’ network, which champions artisan growers. Many of the flowers seen have also come from the Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate.
WESTMINSTER WEDDING: AT A GLANCE
The Duke of Westminster and his bride-to-be, Miss Olivia Henson
Meet the bride
Miss Olivia Henson, 31, was educated at Marlborough College, whose alumni include Kate and Pippa Middleton.
She gained a a degree from Trinity in Ireland.
Olivia is now Senior Account Manager at Belazu, a B-corp ingredient company.
The wedding venue
The Duke and future Duchess of Westminster will tie the knot at the breathtaking Chester Cathedral
The space is where his late father’s memorial was held, and is set in the city where he grew up.
Olivia revealed to Town & Country that Chester is “the place where we will live, where we will be building our lives together.”
The wedding guests
The Grosvenors are a family with a long-standing connection to the royal family; Hugh is a lifelong friend of Princes William and Harry.
The Prince of Wales has been confirmed to be one of the Duke’s ushers.
Which royal guests declined their invitation?
Despite having a close relationship with the Duke, Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly declined their invitation.
It has yet not been confirmed if King Charles, who is Hugh’s godfather, will attend with Queen Camilla.
The Princess of Wales is not expected to attend, amid her ongoing break from the spotlight as she undergoes treatmet for cancer.
It is likely Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will not be in attendance.
Olivia Henson’s arrival
Ahead of the service, Olivia will travel with her father, Rupert Henson, in a vintage Bentley, provided by the Heritage Collection of Bentley Motors in Crewe. The car was originally made for W.O. Bentley, the founder of Bentley Motors, in 1930.
The couple’s choice of wedding cake
The wedding cake has no doubt been expertly crafted and appears to have take inspiration from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2018 showstopper from their wedding. The cake is said to be lemon-flavoured.
Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the couple appear to break from tradition with their choice of flavour instead of a custom fruit cake.
Post-ceremony
The newlyweds will travel to Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor family’s ancestral home which boasts nearly 11,000 acres of land.
Eaton Hall is surrounded by woodland
Here, they will hold a private afternoon reception followed by a party in the evening with 400 guests expected to attend.
What have the bride and groom said?
Ahead of the service, a spokesperson for the couple said: “This is an incredibly special day for the Duke and Miss Henson and they are very much looking forward to the service. It means a lot to them to marry in Chester Cathedral, especially given the Grosvenor family’s long and close personal connection to both the Cathedral and the city of Chester. The couple have also been moved by the messages of support they have received from around the region and are hugely grateful that people want to share in their happiness.
“The Duke and Miss Henson have taken a great deal of care in planning the wedding, putting their own personal stamp on all the arrangements and have made a conscious effort to involve local and regional suppliers in several aspects of the day.”
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