Meet the UK’s richest millennial, Hugh Grosvenor – who’s getting married (2024)

King Charles’ godson Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, is having his nuptials on June 7 at Chester Cathedral.

You might have never heard of Grosvenor, nor seen his photo. But at just 25, Grosvenor inherited the title of the Duke of Westminster as well as an extensive, international property portfolio. In 2023, he was ranked 11th richest person in the UK. Currently 33, he is worth some £10.4 billion, or around US$12.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Despite his extraordinary wealth and royal connections – besides being the godson of King Charles, he is a godfather to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son, Prince George – the duke enjoys a relatively under-the-radar existence, overseeing his family’s estate and charitable work, and competing in skeet-shooting competitions.

Here’s a closer look at Britain’s richest millennial.

Hugh Grosvenor is the 11th richest person in the UK

Grosvenor is the 11th richest person in the UK, per The Sunday Times Rich List 2023, which was released in May. It also named him the country’s richest person under the age of 35.

He was just 25 when he inherited his wealth and title from his father, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died suddenly in 2016. He inherited his father’s billions as well as his estates in the wealthy London neighbourhoods of Belgravia and Mayfair, and the ancestral home in Cheshire, Eaton Hall. As much of the wealth was passed down through family trusts, he did not have to pay billions in inheritance taxes, The Guardian reported.

His title goes back to 1874

The First Duke of Westminster, Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, was friends with Queen Victoria.

The family can trace its lineage back almost 1,000 years. Much of the family’s fortune comes from a 17th-century dowry given to a Sir Thomas Grosvenor, which included a staggering 200 hectares of land just outside London, per Bloomberg.

The first Duke of Westminster was born at Eaton Hall, which remains the family seat, and served as a member of parliament before joining the House of Lords. His wife was a friend of Queen Victoria’s, according to Westminster Abbey, and prime minister William Gladstone honoured him with the title in 1874.

He was born in 1991

Hugh was born on January 29, 1991 to father Gerald Grosvenor and mother Natalia.

Natalia is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin as well as King George II, according to the London Evening Standard.

Although he has two older sisters, Hugh went on to inherit the title of duke and the family estates thanks to an 11th-century tradition that names the firstborn son as heir. His sisters, however, did receive trust funds.

He had a “normal” upbringing

Despite the family’s extraordinary wealth, Grosvenor’s parents reportedly wanted him to have an upbringing that was as normal as possible. He attended a local state primary school before going to a fee-paying Ellesmere College in Shropshire for his secondary school years.

His father said in an interview with the Independent in 1992, “He’s been born with the longest silver spoon anyone can have, but he can’t go through life sucking on it. He has to put back what he has been given.”

Then, he attended Newcastle University and mostly kept a low profile until his 21st birthday party in 2012, which reportedly cost US$6.3 million and was attended by Prince Harry.

The “black tie and neon”-themed party for 800 guests at Eaton Hall reportedly included fireworks, champagne and performances from English comedian Michael McIntyre to hip-hop band Rizzle Kicks.

He is close with the royal family

Grosvenor is closely connected to the royal family. King Charles is his godfather and he is godfather to Prince William’s son, Prince George. In June 2018, the duke and Prince William handed over the then-newly built Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre in Leeds to the nation.

He oversees the family property portfolio

As the owner of the Grosvenor Group, Grosvenor now oversees the family’s property portfolio, which has properties in 43 cities across 10 countries. The estate includes the exclusive London neighbourhoods of Mayfair and Belgravia. The centrepiece is Eaton Square, an elongated square of elegant town houses overlooking private gardens and close to Buckingham Palace.

The Grosvenor Group’s property empire also includes buildings in cities across the world, such as San Francisco and Washington DC in the US, and Stockholm, Tokyo and Beijing. The buildings range from luxury retail spaces and shopping districts to offices and residences.

He does charity work

Through the Grosvenor Group’s charity work, “he is firmly committed to using his position and the resources in his care to make a positive contribution to society, just as previous generations of his family have done before him”, according to the company website.

The duke also serves as chair of trustees for the Westminster Group, his family’s charitable foundation, which provides grants to organisations supporting and working with at-risk children.

In 2020, the duke also made headlines for donating over US$15.6 million to charities to help the United Kingdom fight the coronavirus. Among the donations, he pledged US$6.2 million to the NHS to help healthcare workers and their families, as well as US$3.8 million for medical research, CNN reported.

He inherited the family home, Eaton Hall in Cheshire

He inherited the family’s home in Cheshire, Eaton Hall, which sits on around 4,450 hectares owned by the Grosvenors. Eaton Estate in the Cheshire countryside has been home to the Grosvenor family since the 1400s.

At the centre of the estate, the Eaton Hall family home on the banks of the River Dee is surrounded by expansive, well-manicured gardens. The current main residential building home was built in 1967.

He represents Great Britain in skeet shooting

According to the Times, “a substantial amount of his time” goes toward skeet shooting, in which participants shoot clay targets that move through the air. He represents the national team at competitions, according to his website.

He competes under the name Hugh Westminster, according to his International Shooting Sport Federation profile, and has competed internationally seven times in 2022 and 2023, including competitions in Doha and Cairo. In April 2023, he placed third at an event at the National Clay Shooting Centre. British Shooting shared a photo of him on the podium on their Instagram profile.

He’s about to marry his girlfriend of three years

Grosvenor announced his marriage to Olivia Henson, 31, after proposing to her at Eaton Hall in April 2023, People reported.

They met through friends two years prior, The Times newspaper reported. She works as a senior account manager at ethical food firm Belazu, which imports responsibly sourced olive oil and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients, according to British media.

With the wedding taking place soon, people have been wondering whether the nuptials will mean a reunion for Prince William and Prince Harry who, according to Cosmopolitan, are not currently on speaking terms.