Today at noon the bells of Chester’s medieval cathedral will ring joyfully announcing a wedding.
However, for ambitious mothers of aristocratic daughters, they can have a sad tone. Its sound will mark the moment when Britain’s most eligible suitor will be removed from the kingdom’s singles list.
Fittingly, Prince William, who once headed that eminent roll call, will witness the moment when the handsome, dashing and very wealthy Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, marries his middle-class fiancée Olivia Henson.
History is full of occasions when an attractive young beauty courted by a man of fortune and title says “I do.” But rarely have brides and grooms had to navigate the dangers of a social minefield in the weeks and months leading up to almost the moment they exchange vows.
The reason, of course, is the duke’s relationship with two royal princes, William and Harry. Alone among that gilded company who once considered themselves friends of both brothers, Hughie Grosvenor, as he democratically likes to be known, is something of an outlier.
The Duke of Westminster and Britain’s most sought-after suitor, Hugh Grosvenor, will marry his middle-class fiancée Olivia Henson today.
The Westminster family home: Eaton Hall rises from the ground as a grand symbol of wealthy ostentation and the power of self-promotion.
While many chose sides, or had sides chosen for them, the Duke has maintained his friendship with both. He is godfather to his eldest sons, Prince George and Prince Archie, but the tension of such divided loyalties threatened to overshadow the big day.
It took the last-minute intervention of People, the California-based American wellness magazine that has close ties to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to explain that Harry had declined their invitation due to the challenges his presence would pose.
Translation: her strained relationship with William.
Whatever the truth of this noble gesture, it has avoided the potentially awkward situation of the Prince of Wales, an usher at today’s event, showing his estranged brother his seat.
Still, questions about who was invited and who wasn’t are likely to prove as heady as the vintage champagne that will be served at the reception. Even without Harry and the absence of the King, who is the groom’s best man, today still promises to be the most royal non-royal wedding of the year, if not the decade.
Given the circumstances – the Duke’s £10bn fortune makes him, at 33, the richest person under 40 in the country – it could be the most lavish and over-the-top affair. A few kilometers from the cathedral is the Westminster family home. Eaton Hall rises from the ground as a grand symbol of rich ostentation and the power of self-promotion.
It was once a dingy Victorian building that was demolished and replaced by a brutally modern concrete building. Three decades ago, Hugh’s father oversaw another facelift, giving the property the zest of a French chateau.
Chester Cathedral where the couple will marry. The cathedral is just a few miles from the Westminster family home, Eaton Hall.
A fleet of florist vans delivered dozens of boxes of white and purple foxgloves and wildflowers to decorate the 1,000-year-old cathedral.
…as a worker carries a huge stack of chairs to the site
…and spectacular flowers in shades of purple and white arrive by truck
This arrangement was so large that a step ladder was needed to make final adjustments.
In the pretty villages that make up the estate, lawns were cut and hedges trimmed while the duke’s tenants made their own contribution to the wedding day. Some will rub shoulders with the 400 invited aristocrats and other socialites. But those expecting an exercise in extravagance may be disappointed.
“The duke is a very modest young man,” says an estate official. “He doesn’t seek to be the center of attention, which is what we also like.”
And it seems his girlfriend is cut from the same modest model. The daughter of a stockbroker, she was educated at Marlborough, the former school of the Princess of Wales, and until recently worked as an account manager for an ethical food company.
But being discreet doesn’t mean they haven’t put a lot of thought into the wedding. They are eschewing the traditional English service used by other royal couples for something a little more modern.
“It reflects the fact that they are a contemporary couple,” says the cathedral’s dean, the Most Reverend Dr Tim Stratford. He says they have specifically chosen the scriptures and hymns that have meaning for them.
“In many ways, this is like any other couple getting married, only on a larger scale, because in some ways they are in the public eye and some of their guests are definitely in the public eye,” the dean says.
“The couple at the center of this want to declare their undying love for each other in the presence of witnesses, family and friends and we are here to provide the stage.”
Meanwhile, lavish preparations were underway. 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, from Flower And Press, who provided displays for actress Lily James’ 30th birthday, like to boast about their sustainable credentials – many of the flowers used will be dried, pressed and recycled into works of art.
Given the presence of the heir to the throne, Prince William, at the event, security measures were also taken, with police sniffer dogs checking drains and sewers.
In the pretty villages that make up the estate, lawns were cut and hedges trimmed while the duke’s tenants made their own contribution to the wedding day.
A giant arch was built around the building’s massive west door, decorated with oak branches and other trees, reminiscent of the foliage display at William and Kate’s wedding at Westminster Abbey. Teams of installers from Starlight Design, an avant-garde lighting company, were installing purple and blue spotlights in the cathedral, while unloading plastic-wrapped chairs.
Given the presence of the heir to the throne at the event, security measures were also taken, with police sniffer dogs checking drains and sewers.
It must be said that Chester was containing his excitement, although on a road into town near the entrance to Grosvenor Hospital, staff had dressed a pair of mannequins in suits and wedding dresses with photographs of Hugh and Olivia’s faces attached. .
Details about the guest list and reception plans have been kept private, at least for now, but the Duke has announced that the couple will treat the city’s citizens to free ice cream. One parlor also offers lemon-flavored arctic muffins, a nod to the couple’s lemon wedding cake.
It’s not exactly money behind the bar, but as one local said, “It’s the thought that counts.”
Grosvenor is also paying for this year’s summer flowers, the annual flowers the council plants around the town.
Last night there was just enough time for another essential element: the wedding rehearsal. Viewers said the duke looked “pale and nervous” but Olivia, 31, in a printed blue dress and trendy red clogs, was described as “relaxed and radiant”.
A group of residents applauded when the couple, along with about 25 supporters, including the duke’s brother-in-law, the historian Dan Snow, married to his sister Lady Edwina, emerged after half an hour. Olivia smiled back and seemed to be bursting with excitement as she hugged a member of her group.
“It’s all very exciting,” said one local. “We now look forward to seeing Prince William tomorrow.”
If he had time, William could visit the cathedral shop: among its bestsellers are boxes of tea with the face of his late mother, Princess Diana, former Countess of Chester, after whom the hospital is named.
A generation ago, amid the bitter disputes between Charles and Diana, the duke’s parents showed the same remarkably even-handed approach to the warring prince and princess, and remained friends with both. It’s a valuable lesson that soon-to-be-married Hugh Grosvenor has clearly learned.