All eyes will be on Olivia Henson as she becomes the new Duchess of Westminster.
The 31-year-old is set to tie the knot today with Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, at Chester Cathedral - and people have been quick to point out her striking similarities to none other than Princess Kate.
Certainly there is a strong physical resemblance; both are willowy brunettes with a poised but relaxed demeanour. But the comparisons go far beyond that.
Olivia and Kate - a decade older than the bride-to-be - enjoyed a similar upbringing. Both grew up with two siblings, a brother and a sister, in the Home Counties; Kate in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury, and Olivia 30 miles away in Longworth.
Olivia will become the new Duchess of Westminster following her marriage to Hugh (Handout)And they each attended the exclusive Marlborough college, which also counts Pippa Middleton, Princess Eugenie and Samantha Cameron amongst its alumni.
Meghan Markle 'to unleash her own memoirs' as Prince Harry's drops next week
Even their family lineages can be linked. Kate's mother, Carole Middleton, is distantly related to the Bowes-Lyons, the family of the late Queen Mother, and Kate is also descended from 17th century nobleman Sir William Blakiston and his wife, Jane.
Olivia has aristocratic pedigree as well as royal connections, too. According to The Daily Mail, "she is the elder daughter of Rupert Henson and his wife Caroline, who is a scion of the Hoare banking family and the Marquess of Bristol. Henson is also a descendant of John Manners, the 5th Duke of Rutland."
Princess Kate posing with the Marlborough College Under 15 Hockey Team (Adam Sorenson)Olivia will become a Duchess just as Kate once was, but it is unlikely that the Princess will be there to witness the moment as she continues her cancer treatment. But husband Prince William is set to attend the wedding, reportedly acting as an usher for his good friend and billionaire Hugh. It's not known whether Prince George, the groom's godson, will join him.
Olivia currently works as a senior account manager at Belazu, an environmentally friendly B-corp which imports high-quality ingredients from across Europe, such as rose harissa, preserved lemons and estate-shot venison. It is not known whether she will continue to work following her marriage.
The sprawling Eaton Estate in Cheshire (Alamy)She was introduced to Hugh by some mutual friends and the couple dated for two years before he popped the question in April 2023. He got down on one knee at Eaton Hall outside of Chester, which has been home to the Grosvenor family since the 1400s and is where Hugh grew up.
The Duke, or 'Hughie' to his friends, is known for being remarkably low-maintenance - something he seems to have in common with his wife-to-be.
"Hugh is quite low-key. He takes his roles very seriously but when he's not working he's relaxed,' . The couple's casual engagement photo certainly seemed to reflect this with the pair wearing day-to-day clothing and looking incredibly relaxed in the no-fuss snapshot.
Olivia and Hugh will begin their married life together in Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor family seat. Speaking to Town & Country in May ahead of the big day, Olivia spoke about why they had chosen Chester Cathedral as their venue.
"It's obviously a place where we will live, where we'll be building our lives together," she said. "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."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
