RICHARD KAY: Welcome to the most royal non-royal wedding of the decade: How did the £10bn Duke of Westminster – who marries today – pull off a feat of diplomacy by keeping William and Harry onside… even though only one will attend?
Today at noon the bells of Chester’s medieval cathedral will chime merrily for a wedding.
However, for ambitious mothers of aristocratic daughters, they can have a sad tone. Their sound will mark the moment when Britain’s most eligible suitor will be removed from the kingdom’s list of bachelors.
It is fitting that Prince William, who himself once headed that eminent roll call, will witness the moment when the handsome, dashing and very wealthy Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, with his middle-class fiancée, Olivia Henson, marries.
History is replete with occasions when an attractive young beauty, being courted by a man of fortune and title, says “I do.” But it’s rare that a bride and groom have to navigate the perils of a social minefield in the weeks and months leading up to almost the moment they take their vows.
The reason, of course, is the Duke’s relationship with two royal princes, William and Harry. Unique among the gilded group who once considered themselves friends of both brothers, Hughie Grosvenor, as he democratically likes to be called, is something of an outlier.
The Duke of Westminster and Britain’s most eligible suitor, Hugh Grosvenor, will today marry his middle-class fiancée, Olivia Henson.
The Westminster family home: Eaton Hall rises from the ground as a huge symbol of wealthy ostentation and the power of self-promotion
While many took sides – or allowed themselves to be chosen – the duke has maintained his friendship with both of them. He is the godfather to their older children, Prince George and Prince Archie, but the pressure of such divided loyalties threatened to overshadow the big day.
It took last-minute intervention from People, the American feel-good magazine that has close ties to the California-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to explain that Harry had declined his invitation because of the problems his presence would cause.
Translation: his fraught relationship with William.
Whatever the truth of this noble gesture, it has avoided the potentially awkward situation of the Prince of Wales, an usher in today’s event, showing his estranged brother to his seat.
Still, questions about who was and who wasn’t invited will be as heady as the vintage champagne served at the reception. Even without Harry and the absence of the King, who is the groom’s godfather, today it still promises to be the most royal non-royal wedding of the year – if not the decade.
Given the circumstances – the Duke’s £10 billion fortune makes him the richest person under 40 in the country at the age of 33 – this could be the most lavish and over-the-top affair. A few miles from the cathedral is the home of the Westminster family. Eaton Hall rises from the ground as a huge symbol of opulence and the power of self-promotion.
It was once a bleak Victorian post that was then bulldozed and replaced with a brutally modern concrete structure. Thirty years ago, Hugh’s father provided a new facelift, giving the property the flair of a French castle.
Chester Cathedral where the couple will marry. The cathedral is just a few miles from the Eaton Hall family home in Westminster
A fleet of florist vans delivered dozens of boxes of white and purple foxgloves and wildflowers to decorate the 1,000-year-old cathedral
… while a towering stack of chairs is carried into the hall by a workman
… and spectacular flowers in purple and white tones arrive by truck
This arrangement was so large that it required a staircase to make the final adjustments
In the neat villages that form the estate, lawns were mowed and hedges trimmed as the Duke’s tenants made their own contribution to the wedding day. Some will work with the 400 invited aristocrats and other society figures. But those expecting an exercise in extravagance may be disappointed.
“The Duke is a very modest young man,” says an estate figure. ‘He doesn’t seek the spotlight, we like that too.’
And it seems his bride is cut from the same self-effacing cloth. The daughter of a stockbroker, she was educated at Marlborough, the Princess of Wales’s old school, and until recently worked as an account manager for an ethical food company.
But quiet does not mean that they did not pay much attention to the wedding. They eschewed the traditional English tableware used by other royal couples for something more modern.
“It reflects the fact that they are a contemporary couple,” says the cathedral dean, the Very Rev. Dr Tim Stratford. He says they made specific choices about the scriptures and hymns that are meaningful to them.
“In many ways, this is like any other couple getting married, but on a larger scale, because they are somewhat in the public eye and some of their guests are certainly in the public eye,” the dean says.
‘The couple at the center of this want to declare their eternal love for each other in the presence of witnesses, family and friends and we are here to provide the stage.’
In the meantime, extensive preparations were made. A fleet of florist vans delivered dozens of boxes of white and purple foxgloves and wildflowers to decorate the 1,000-year-old cathedral. The florists at Flower And Press, who provided displays for actress Lily James’ 30th birthday, are keen to show off their sustainability features: many of the flowers used are dried, pressed and recycled into works of art.
Given the presence of heir to the throne Prince William at the event, security measures were also in place, with police sniffer dogs checking drains and manholes.
In the tidy villages that form the estate, lawns were mown and hedges trimmed as the Duke’s tenants made their own contribution to the wedding day
A giant arch was built around the building’s enormous west door, decorated with branches of oaks and other trees – reminiscent of the display of leaves at William and Kate’s wedding at Westminster Abbey. Teams of riggers from Starlight Design, a contemporary lighting company, were setting up purple and blue spotlights in the cathedral as plastic-wrapped chairs were unloaded.
Given the heir apparent’s presence at the event, security measures were also in place, with police sniffer dogs checking drains and manholes.
It has to be said that Chester could contain his excitement even though on a road into town, near the entrance to Grosvenor Hospital, staff had dressed a few mannequins in suits and wedding dresses with pictures of Hugh and Olivia’s faces on them.
Details about the guest list and reception plans have been kept private for now, but the Duke has announced that the couple will treat the city’s residents to free ice cream. One salon also offers lemon-flavored Arctic sandwiches, a nod to the couple’s lemon wedding cake.
It’s not so much about money behind the bar, but as one resident said: ‘It’s the thought that counts.’
This year Grosvenor is also paying for the Summer Flowers, the annual flowers planted throughout the town by the council.
Last night there was just time for another essential element: the wedding rehearsal. Onlookers said the Duke looked ‘pale and nervous’ but Olivia, 31, in a blue patterned dress and trendy red clogs, was described as ‘relaxed and radiant’.
A group of residents applauded as the couple, along with about 20 supporters including the Duke’s brother-in-law, historian Dan Snow – married to his sister Lady Edwina – emerged after half an hour. Olivia smiled back at them and seemed to be overflowing with excitement as she hugged a member of her party.
“It’s all very exciting,” said one resident. “Now we hope to see Prince William tomorrow.”
If he has time, William might pop into the cathedral shop: among the bestsellers are tea caddies with the face of his late mother, Princess Diana, a former Countess of Chester, after whom the hospital is named.
A generation ago, amid the bitter feud between Charles and Diana, the Duke’s parents showed the same remarkably even-handed approach to the warring prince and princess, while remaining friends with both. It’s a valuable lesson clearly learned by the soon-to-be Hugh Grosvenor.
