Who is the new Duchess of Westminster? And what is next for Olivia Henson and Hugh Grosvenor following their high society wedding?

Following her long-awaited wedding to Hugh Grosvenor yesterday, Olivia Henson now holds the title of Duchess of Westminster.

The 31-year-old married the 33-year-old Duke of Westminster in a lavish ceremony at Chester Cathedral attended by around 400 guests. And although a lot of attention has been paid to the big day itself in the run-up to the wedding, now that the couple are newlyweds, there is interest in how their lives will change.

According to reports, friends of the Duke, who is worth a whopping £9.3 billion, say he and his new bride are planning to move from London to Cheshire, home of the Grosvenor family seat, Eaton Hall.

With his degree in Countryside Management, Hugh (who previously represented the country in Olympic Skeet Shooting competitions) reportedly wants to concentrate on farming, with a dairy farm reportedly on the 10,000-hectare Eaton Hall estate.

Meanwhile, friends of his wife Olivia, 31, say she has quit her job at sustainable food company Belazu – which imports high-quality ingredients including rose harissa and extra virgin olive oil from across Europe – to focus on her new ‘era’. Unpleasant Tatler.

Hugh Grosvenor (pictured, left) and his then fiancée Olivia Henson (pictured, right) in a photo shared to announce their engagement

Olivia (pictured in Chester earlier this year) is now the Duchess of Westminster following her marriage to Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster

Although her marriage has given her a new title and a share of her husband’s immense wealth, Olivia is no stranger to wealth or the aristocracy, as she has her own family connections from high society.

According to the Telegraph, she is descended from the Hoare banking family, as well as the Marquesses of Bristol and the Dukes of Rutland. The outlet also said that her uncle is the Grand Master of the Scottish Freemasons and that her father is stockbroker Rupert Henson.

While not much is known about Olivia, who seems to enjoy keeping a low profile, it has been reported that as a youngster Olivia was a student at the respected Dragon School in Oxford, where Emma was a classmate.

She then attended the elite Marlborough College (of which Kate Middleton is also an alumna) before studying at the prestigious Trinity College, Dublin, where she graduated with an upper second class degree in Hispanic Studies and Italian.

Before joining B-Corp Belazu in 2019, Olivia worked at Daily Dose LDN and No1 Rosemary Water.

Little is known about how the couple met, although it is believed they were introduced by friends in 2021.

Until their marriage, Hugh was called ‘Britain’s most eligible bachelor’. This was largely due to his vast fortune, which makes him the richest man in Britain under the age of forty. Moreover, he is well connected, as the godson of King Charles and godfather of Prince George and Prince Archie.

Hugh became an instant billionaire in 2016 after his father Gerald Grosvenor suffered a sudden heart attack during a country walk and died aged 64.

NEWWED: Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson, the Duke and Duchess of Westminster) beam as they leave Chester Cathedral after their wedding ceremony

Tatler reported that Olivia (pictured on her wedding day) has left her job at sustainable food company Belazu as she enters her new ‘era’.

His vast estate spans 300 hectares across London’s Mayfair and Belgravia – two of the most expensive areas in the world.

This is in addition to estates in Oxford, Scotland and properties around the world – including the 10,872-acre family estate at Eaton Hall in Cheshire.

Olivia and Hugh, who announced their engagement on April 23, 2023, after two years of dating, carried out a series of charity events in Chester ahead of their wedding.

During one of them they confirmed their plans to move north, with Olivia saying: ‘It’s obviously a place we’ll live.

The Duke of Westminster is friends with Prince William and Prince Harry, and is godfather to Prince George and Prince Archie (pictured with Prince William at Edward van Cutsem and Lady Tamara Grosvenor’s wedding in 2004)

Prince William (pictured, right) was an usher at the Chester wedding of Hugh Grosvenor (pictured, left) and Olivia Henson (seen at the official handover to the nation of the newly built Defense and National Rehabilitation Center in Leeds in 2018)

“We’re going to build our lives together and we’re slowly going through a transition to move from London and be here much more permanently and really put down roots.”

She added that moving to Cheshire was an ‘easy decision’ for the couple.

Perhaps the decision was easy because Hugh has a “genuine love for the country,” according to Jill Attenborough, CEO of The Country Trust.

The charity, of which Hugh is chairman, encourages children from less privileged backgrounds to visit farms (including those on his family’s estate) to help them connect with the ‘land that sustains us all’.

Speaking to the TelegraphJill added that Hugh is “really inspired by the country,” and “so loves the opportunity to bring that to kids.”

The Duke of Westminster and his then fiancée Olivia Henson are pictured on a charity visit in Chester earlier this year, ahead of their wedding

The couple will visit Chester Cathedral ahead of their wedding on June 7. During the outing, Olivia (pictured, centre) revealed that moving to Cheshire had been an ‘easy decision’

She described the 33-year-old as a ‘very authentic person’, adding: ‘He is really aware of his responsibility as the next generation of farmers and landowners and tries to gently, certainly not in some sort of pushy way, to attract attention. its network and ‘next gen’ to talk about whether they could also welcome children to their farms and estates and show what they are doing for a more sustainable future.’

As part of his work for the charity, the outlet reported that the Duke currently wants to participate in school visits as much as possible, connecting with children as they learn about farming and the land.

Although the couple revealed they will be moving north ‘slowly’, they will reportedly still visit London regularly due to Hugh’s role as chairman of the Grosvenor Group, which owns huge swaths of land in the capital.

In addition to his rural affairs, he is “actively involved” in the group’s urban property development, as well as its food and agricultural technology, according to the Telegraph.

In addition, Hugh is also chairman of the Westminster Foundation, which is used by the family to disburse their charitable donations.