Prince George’s billionaire godfather is robbed of £42,000 watches after a burglary at the family estate: Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor’s timepieces – including £30,000 Cartier and £6,000 Breitling – were stolen by a decorator working in Eaton Hall in Cheshire worked

Prince George’s billionaire godfather was robbed of £42,000 worth of watches after hiring decorators to spruce up his family seat, it emerged today.

Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, lost a £30,000 Cartier London Tank JC wristwatch, plus a Panerai Luminor Marina watch and a Breitling watch, each worth £6,000, after a workman sneaked into his bedroom and helped himself during redecorating rooms at Eaton Hall in Cheshire.

The 32-year-old duke, who is believed to own more land than the king, only discovered the precious timepieces were missing three weeks later while looking for the Cartier to wear.

It is believed the aristocrat, who has an estimated net worth of £9.42 billion and whose late father Gerald was King Charles’ godfather, had commissioned workers to decorate the rooms in the mansion but not his bedroom.

The raid on the 10,872 hectare estate took place in August last year, but details have only now emerged after two men were arrested and charged in connection with the burglary.

The Duke (pictured wearing a watch at a wedding in 2013) only discovered the precious timepieces were missing three weeks later when he was looking for the Cartier to wear

It is believed the aristocrat, who has an estimated net worth of £9.42 billion and whose late father Gerald was King Charles’ godfather, had commissioned workers to decorate the rooms in the mansion (pictured) – but not his bedroom.

Last Friday, Matthew Turner, 24, from Great Sutton, near Ellesmere Port, pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court to burglary between August 7 and 31, 2022.

He also admitted an unrelated theft of £60 from a tire shop and will be sentenced later at Chester Crown Court.

Nathan Elliot, 30, of Whitby, Ellesmere Port, was charged with handling the stolen Cartier but pleaded not guilty and will stand trial.

Prosecutor Scott Woodward said: “The Crown says this is not appropriate to be heard in this court. The charge concerns a residential burglary. The value of the goods from the burglary amounts to £42,000, a significant sum.

‘If we take that value into account, the starting point is a year in prison. The sentencing guidelines clearly go beyond those of this court, so I invite you to send them to the Crown Court.”

Turner’s lawyer Steven Alis said: ‘The damage category here relates to the value of items and I agree that the starting point is 12 months. But I’m not saying he’s going to get that.’

Turner was released on bail for preparing background reports. He is expected to be sentenced after Elliott’s trial. The duke who was not present in court was the third child and only son of Gerald Grosvenor, sixth Duke of Westminster, and his wife Natalia, a descendant of the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, specifically of Nicholas I of Russia.

When he was baptized on June 23, 1991, the King – then the Prince of Wales – agreed to act as godfather.

A close friend of Princes William and Harry, Hugh grew up in Eaton Hall with his three sisters: Lady Tamara, Lady Edwina and Lady Viola. They attended a local state primary school before High went to the small, private Mostyn House School, followed by Ellesmere College in Shropshire, where fees are £40,635 a year.

He later attended Newcastle University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Countryside Management

Hugh, whose Latin family motto Virtus Non Stemma means Virtue, no descent, was originally called Earl Grosvenor from birth until 2016, when his father died and he became the seventh duke.

The Duke of Westminster (left) at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in Windsor in 2018

Matthew Turner (pictured), 24, of Great Sutton, near Ellesmere Port, pleaded guilty to burglary between August 7 and 31, 2022

At the time he was named Britain’s most eligible bachelor, but in April this year he announced his engagement to Olivia Grace Henson.

They will marry on June 7, 2024 at Chester Cathedral.

Eaton Hall has been the country home of the Grosvenor family since the 15th century. The first large house was built in the 17th century, but in the early 19th century it was replaced by a much larger house designed by William Porden.

This in turn was replaced by an even larger house, with outbuildings and a chapel, designed by Alfred Waterhouse. Construction began in 1870 and was completed about twelve years later. By 1960, the house’s structure had deteriorated and it was demolished.

The latest house takes on the appearance of a French chateau and is surrounded by its own formal gardens, parks, farmland and woodland.