Royal wedding: Britain’s most eligible bachelor Duke of Westminster and is now getting married to Olivia Henson with top royals in key roles on…

The society wedding of the year between the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson is taking place at Chester Cathedral on Friday.

Hugh Grosvenor, 33, is one of the richest men in the UK with a net worth of £10.127bn, according to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List and was once considered the country’s most eligible bachelor.

But he will officially be off the market on 7 June when he ties the knot with Henson, 31, in a lavish ceremony where Prince William and Prince George are set to play key roles.

But, crucially, Prince Harry will not be there due to the ongoing estrangement with William.

Following the ceremony, Henson, who attended Marlborough College alongside Princess Eugenie, will become the Duchess of Westminster.

This role is currently occupied by Grosvenor’s widowed mother, Natalia, 65, who will obtain a new title and become known as Her Grace Natalia, Duchess of Westminster, or Her Grace The Dowager Duchess of Westminster.

The title of the Duke of Westminster is historically significant as it is the most recent title given to a person who is not a direct descendant of the royal family – although it is worth noting that Grosvenor’s mother is a direct descendent of George II.

The dukedom was given to Hugh Grosvenor, the third Marquess of Westminster, by Queen Victoria in 1847, making the current Hugh Grosvenor the seventh Duke of Westminster.

This is everything we know about his wedding so far

The Venue
While the specifics of how the venue will be decorated and features like music remain under wraps, it has been confirmed to take place at Chester Cathedral.

The happy couple recently paid the historic building a visit, with Grosvenor joking that his next visit will be “slightly more nerve-wracking.”

The 33-year-old, who famously owns “half of Mayfair”, opened up to the Chester Standard about why it was the perfect venue to marry Henson, an account manager at the environmentally friendly b-corp Belazu, who he met through friends

Grosvenor, now the third richest man in the UK, inherited his wealth and property empire upon his father’s death in 2016. He has previously worked for environmental causes and runs the Grosvenor Group Limited with sustainability in mind.

We’ve obviously got a long association with the cathedral as a family so we were here for my father’s memorial, my sister’s wedding and every Remembrance Sunday that I can attend is here,” he said.

“But I’m unbelievably excited and I also wanted to make it very clear how unbelievably helpful people have been, how supportive they’ve been so far, which I’m unbelievably grateful for because I do realise that it’s going to be a big, big thing for the city.

It’s going to be certainly a huge thing for us and we’re grateful for all the help really.”

The Duke’s sister Lady Tamara Grosvenor also tied the knot in the city, prompting crowds to line the streets to catch a glimpse of her nuptials to Edward van Cutsem in 2004.

This resulted in a heavy police presence, which is expected to also be the case this weekend.

Prince Harry and William were both in attendance at the event, with the Crewe Chronicle reporting that their arrival sent the crowd “wild”.

The Guestlist
There will reportedly be around 400 guests at the wedding including big names like Prince William and Prince George.

As the Princess of Wales has been out of the spotlight since January, she is not expected to make an appearance, and it is speculated that neither will her younger children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Prince Harry decided against attending the society wedding of the year after acknowledging the difficulties his presence would cause, it has been claimed.

After months of speculation, sources close to the Duke of Sussex told People magazine that he had spoken privately to his longtime friend, the Duke of Westminster, about the challenges of his attendance before they mutually came to the decision

Friends since childhood, the source told the US magazine that Harry sends “love and support and admiration” for the couple’s wedding day.