Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not invited to wedding
The Royal Family are preparing for arguably their biggest wedding this year, as the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor is set to marry his partner Olivia Henson this Friday, June 7, at Chester Cathedral.
The couple are said to have chosen the wedding venue for its beauty and because of the personal connection to the duke, whose family home Eaton Hall is nearby.
Prince William will act as an usher for the ceremony, which will start at midday on Friday with some 400 guests believed to be in attendance.
A spokesperson for the duke and Ms Henson 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."
Who is the Duke of Westminster?
Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster (Image: Getty)
Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, is the son of the late Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and his wife Natalia. He has three sisters, Lady Tamara, Lady Edwina, and Lady Viola.
The family links to the Russian Imperial House of Romanov through his mother, specifically from Nicholas I of Russia, and also from the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalia Nikolayevna Goncharova.
The Duke of Westminster topped The Sunday Times 40 Under 40 Rich List earlier this year, boasting a fortune of £10.1 billion.
His property company, Grosvenor Group, owns about 300 acres of land in Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as major city centre developments such as Liverpool's One shopping centre.
The Duke of Westminster is one of the richest men in the UK and has close ties to the Royal Family - here is everything you need to know about Hugh Grosvenor.
Who is Olivia Henson?
Hugh Grosvenor and his bride Olivia Henson (Image: Grosvenor2023/PA)
Olivia Henson is of aristocracy having descended from the Hoare banking family, the Marquesses of Bristol and the Dukes of Rutland.
She is a senior account manager at Belazu, an environmentally friendly B-corp which imports high-quality ingredients from across Europe.
Ms Henson met Hugh Grosvenor, who is also known as "Hughie", in October 2021 through mutual friends. After dating for two years, the Duke proposed.
The couple will wed in a high society wedding in Chester this afternoon. Find out more about the bride and soon-to-be duch*ess of Westminster.
Royal wedding guestlist
The Prince and the Duke have been friends for years (Image: Getty)
The Duke, who happens to be the UK's wealthiest resident under the age of 40, has been close to Princes William and Harry for a number of years.
The future King will play an important role in the ceremony as an usher, but it is his son and Mr Grosvenor's godson Prince George who is likely to attract the most attention.
Although it is not known exactly what role George will play at the wedding, the Mail on Sunday reported at the weekend that it will be "prominent".
There will also be some notable absences this Friday, as Prince Harry is not expected to attend in spite of his previous close friendship with Mr Grosvenor, who is godfather to Prince Archie.
It is believed that Harry was invited to the wedding but turned it down due to his ongoing feud with the Royal Family, in particular his older brother William.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: "William was asked to have a prominent role in the wedding and that's what triggered Harry to decline an invitation. Apparently he [Harry] was put out by the request when he thought it should have been him."
Princess Kate will also stay away as she continues to receive treatment for cancer, while questions remain over whether King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Charlotte or Prince Louis will attend.
But Chester Cathedral will still play host to 400 guests for the wedding, including historian and TV presenter Dan Snow, who is married to Lady Edwina Grosvenor, the sister of the groom.
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Flowers
The historic city has been decked out with 100,000 flowers ahead of Friday's nuptials, paid for by the Duke in celebration of his marriage to Ms Henson.
The flowers will be donated to charity after the ceremony, with Chester's Business Improvement District sharing pictures of the blooms on X along with this caption: "As part of local celebrations for their wedding, the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson are delighted to sponsor this year’s Chester BID Flower Planting, along with a planting morning with the BID team and Chester Businesses.
"The colourful displays which feature vibrant pollinators – benefiting biodiversity as well as the amenity of the city, have now been planted and can be enjoyed across Chester high street and historic rows."
A spokesperson for the couple added: "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."
Eaton Hall
The couple have made Cheshire their home, with their wedding reception set to be held at the Grosvenor family estate Eaton Hall in the county.
Eaton Hall is also where Mr Grosvenor, 33, proposed to his girlfriend of two years in 2023, as she explained to Town and Country why they had decided to move out of London.
The 31-year-old said: "It’s [Eaton Hall] obviously a place where we will live, where 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 actually, yes it was a really easy decision in the end."
Other details
Ms Henson will travel to the cathedral with her father in a vintage Bentley, originally made for the car manufacturer's founder in 1930.
The wedding will be officiated by the Dean of Chester, the Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford and the service will be sung by the Chester Cathedral Choir, accompanied by a group of musicians from North West England.
The Bishop of Chester, the Right Revd Mark Tanner, will preach and prayers will be led by the Revd Canon Rosie Woodall.
