Crowds gather ahead of Duke of Westminster’s society wedding of the year to Olivia Henson with Prince William as usher and 400 guests – as local people are treated to free ice cream and 100,000 flowers

A crowd has formed outside Chester Cathedral ahead of the Duke of Westminster’s wedding to Olivia Henson.

Hugh Grosvenor, 30, will marry Olivia, 31, today at the cathedral in Cheshire, with guests from all over the world.

The 7th Duke, Britain’s richest man under 40 – worth £10.42 billion – is godfather to Prince Williams’ son Prince George and Prince Harry‘s son Archie.

William will open the service among approximately 400 expected guests, while Prince Harry will not attend.

Photos from this morning show excited fans forming outside the cathedral ahead of the Church of England ceremony starting at noon.

The Duke will provide free ice cream, gelato and sorbet for Cheshire residents at three local, independent cafes so they can take part in the celebrations.

People are gathering outside Chester Cathedral today for the wedding of the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson

A woman dresses in wedding clothes and a Union Jack scarf outside the cathedral

The Duke, Hugh Grosvenor, 30, will marry Olivia Henson, 31, with guests from around the world

Today people are gathering outside Chester Cathedral for the wedding

Police vans at Chester Cathedral, where the wedding ceremony will take place

Hugh is godfather to Prince Williams’ son, Prince George, and Prince Harry’s son Archie. Harry will not attend the wedding

Meanwhile, as many as 100,000 flowers have been planted in the city – all paid for by the Duke – which will be donated to charity after the ceremony.

This week a floral arch was built around the huge west door of the 1,000-year-old cathedral in the heart of the city.

On a road into town, near the entrance to Grosvenor Hospital, staff dressed some mannequins in suits and wedding dresses with photos of Hugh and Olivia’s faces attached.

Given the heir apparent’s presence at the event, security measures have also been put in place, with detectives seen speaking to local Cheshire police officers outside the cathedral this week.

Police sniffer dogs were seen checking drains around the building grounds for signs of explosives.

Eaton Hall, a mock French castle set in 10,872 acres of Cheshire (50 acres of which include extensive formal gardens), is where the couple plan to live after they get married, and is the perfect place for a party.

Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, based in the heart of Chester Market, will be offering a range of Cheshire Farm single-scoop ice creams or slices of a new lemon sponge flavored Arctic roll.

The lemon-flavored arctic roll was specially created in honor of The Duke and Olivia’s lemon-flavored wedding cake that will be served to guests at the wedding reception.

The Duke pays for free ice cream for locals from three local businesses. Pictured from left to right: Craig Fermor of Diddy Donuts, Valentina Aviotti of Krum Gelato and Stephen Young of Cheshire Farm Ice Cream

Dozens of boxes of flowers were delivered to the cathedral by a fleet of vans

A large security cordon will be erected around the cathedral due to the presence of so many high-profile guests. Pictured: sniffer dogs in Chester

A workman carries a bundle of chairs through the garden of Chester Cathedral

Temporary scaffolding was also erected near the cathedral while workers pruned plants

Ed Warrington, owner of Cheshire Farm Ice Cream shops, said: “As a local business we are delighted to be part of The Duke and Olivia’s initiative to provide free ice cream to the public in celebration of their wedding.

‘Everyone at Cheshire Farm Ice Cream wishes them all the best for their wedding day.’

The couple has been careful not to reveal any details about the reception and “we have also been asked not to post on social media when we get there,” one guest said.

It will likely be a green event, as both Hugh and Olivia are environmentally conscious, and it is understood that flowers used at the ceremony and reception will be pressed afterwards and made into sustainable works of art, rather than simply thrown away.

Olivia, who went to Marlborough College, such as the Princess of Wales and Princess Eugenie, is a senior account manager at Belazu, an environmentally friendly company that imports sustainable, chef-quality ingredients.

Hugh has increasingly begun initiating various environmentally friendly practices, including renewable energy projects, green building codes, and biodiversity conservation efforts.