06 June 2024 , 11:08
831
0
The Duke of Westminster's ties to the royal family are deep seated.
The 33-year-old - set to marry his fiancée Olivia Henson on Friday - is a British aristocrat and billionaire businessman, ranked as one of the richest people in the world thanks to his estimated £10.6bn net worth.
His connection to the royals stems back to his late father, Gerald Grosvenor. The 7th Duke of Westminster was a close friend and confidante of King Charles; so much so that the then-Prince was made one of Hugh's godfathers. In fact, the bond between the two men was so strong that Charles later asked Gerald to act as a mentor for a young Prince William.
Gerald's widow, Natalia, meanwhile, is a godmother to Prince William and in turn, the late Princess Diana was chosen to be a godmother to Gerald's second daughter, Lady Edwina Grosvenor.
The two families' connections have remained strong. Given their wealth and lifestyle, Princes William and Harry moved in similar circles to Hugh and the Duke developed strong friendships with both.
Meghan Markle 'to unleash her own memoirs' as Prince Harry's drops next week
Such is their connection, Prince William and Kate asked Hugh to be godfather to the future King, Prince George. He is one of seven godparents, alongside Oliver Baker, a friend of the couple's from St. Andrews, Zara Tindall, Julia Samuel, a close friend of Princess Diana, Kate's pal Emilia Jardine-Paterson, the couple's former private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, and William's longterm friend William van Cutsem.
There has been speculation that Prince George will be in attendance at Friday's wedding given his position as Hugh's godson. Father William is already playing a key role as an usher to his close friend.
He certainly has experience; both George and Charlotte are pros at being part of the wedding party, having served as a page boy or bridesmaid at several weddings, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's ceremony, both in 2018.
However, the wedding ceremony - held at Chester Cathedral - is taking place on a Friday, a school day for the ten-year-old Prince, meaning he will likely be in lessons at Lambrook school.
Despite his immense wealth and privilege, Hugh is a low-key figure, frequently praised for his humble outlook. He is also private - something that William and Kate no doubt value when it comes to his bond with their eldest son.
"Hugh is a stable pair of hands," one relative told the Telegraph. "He's not some Hooray Henry who likes getting hooned and going to 5 Hertford Street. He even has a slight Midlands lilt.
"His mum, Tally [Natalia, a descendant of George II and the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin], was keen on the children having a more normal upbringing, so almost consciously didn't want them to go to all those Eton, Harrow sort of places and risk turning into that arrogant, entitled type of person."
Hugh was born on 29 January 1991 and grew up at Eaton Hall, where his parents endeavoured to give him as down-to-earth an upbringing as you can have on a stately home with 11,000 acres. He was the third child born to Gerald and Tally; male primogeniture meant that as the first male heir, he inherited everything over his two older sisters Tamara and Edwina. He also has a younger sister, Viola.
His father, who died suddenly in 2016 at the age of 64, once admitted he "felt sorry for Hugh", adding: "He will be under enormous pressure. He's a lucky boy to be given all the material things in life, but he'll need to be robust mentally to survive. There are many pitfalls when one inherits such an enormous amount of money, especially in adolescence.
"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."
Harry and Meghan convinced 'royals were against them' after New Year photo snub