The new wife of the Duke of Westminster, Olivia Henson, shines in the official photographs published from the social wedding of the year.
Billionaire aristocrat Hugh Grosvenor, 33, married Miss Henson, 31, at Chester Cathedral yesterday. The couple announced their engagement in April last year after being together for two years.
Prince William also attended the ceremony to perform his duties as an usher, but his brother Harry, also one of Hugh Grosvenor’s closest friends, did not go, preferring to remain in California.
The Duke of Westminster is godfather to William’s son Prince George and Harry’s son Archie.
Olivia Henson in her custom dress
The Duke and Duchess of Westminster at their wedding in Chester
The bride’s veil was designed by Emma Victoria Payne and featured an embroidered design incorporating floral motifs from Mrs. Henson’s great-great-grandmother’s veil from around 1880.
Her dress was made by the same designer and she accessorized it with blue shoes and the Fabergé Myrtle Leaf tiara made for Grosvenor brides to wear on their wedding day, which has been in the family since 1906.
A floral arch was built around the massive West Gate of the 1,000-year-old Cathedral in the heart of the city.
And a staggering 100,000 flowers were planted across the city, all paid for by the Duke, which will be donated to charities once the ceremony is over.
It all almost went wrong around 12.30 yesterday when two silver-haired Just Stop Oil fans tried to ruin the happy occasion by using fire extinguishers to spray powder paint in the direction of the wedding party, which included the Prince of Wales, as they were leaving . Chester Cathedral.
Police quickly removed protesters from the crowd as onlookers booed. JSO named them as Polly, 73, a healthcare worker from Norfolk, and Sheila, 69, a former NHS nurse from Bristol.
After the ceremony ended around 1pm, around 400 guests, including Princess Eugenie and television producer Phil Redmond, left the venue in coaches for a lavish reception at the Grosvenor family headquarters. , Eaton Hall, outside Chester.
The bride in her car taking her to the wedding.
The happy couple walks away from the church surrounded by family.
Olivia Henson arrived for her wedding to the Duke of Westminster at Chester Cathedral
The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson kiss after getting married at Chester Cathedral
Eaton Hall in Cheshire, the seat of the Duke of Westminster. Around 400 guests attended a wedding reception at the luxury home.
The Duke of Westminster and his bride Olivia leave Chester Cathedral after their wedding today
Prince William, who was an usher at the ceremony, and William van Cutsem after the wedding of Olivia and her old friend Hugh.
A spokesman for the Duke and Mrs Henson said they put “their own personal stamp on all the arrangements”, from the flowers to the food.
However, in a major twist, the Duke of Westminster eschewed the traditional English service popular with aristocratic couples. As a result, the service at Chester Cathedral, attended by Prince William and Princess Eugenie, was conducted in a contemporary language rather than 17th-century English.
Most Church of England weddings use the words from Common Worship’s The Marriage Service, which offers a greater variety of readings and prayers. But some couples prefer a ceremony that uses language like “thee” and “thee” instead of “thee” and may use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
The Dean of Chester, the Very Reverend Dr Tim Stratford, told MailOnline that the couple were holding a “contemporary” service, rather than using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which includes the line that marriage should not be entered into. : ‘lightly, or without sense, to gratify the carnal lusts and appetites of men, like brute beasts that have no understanding.’
The dean, who officiates the wedding, added: “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 eye.” public”.
“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.”
Additionally, there is also an updated version of the 1662 service, known as Alternative Services: Series One, which was used by the Prince and Princess of Wales for their wedding.
A bridesmaid and the bride’s mother struggle to keep Olivia’s veil in the wind.
Prince William after leaving the wedding of Olivia and his old friend Hugh
The groom’s sisters, Lady Viola Grosvenor and Lady Edwina Grosvenor (left), attend the wedding of the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson.
The Duke of Westminster and his wife Olivia leave their wedding ceremony at Chester Cathedral
Olivia and her husband, the Duke of Westminster, leave their wedding ceremony at Chester Cathedral
Known universally as ‘Hughie’ to his aristocratic friends, the Duke of Westminster is estimated to be worth £10.42 billion, making him the richest man under 40 in Britain.
Meanwhile, his girlfriend, who grew up in London and Oxfordshire, has worked in the sustainable food and drink industry.
Henson traveled to the cathedral with his father in a vintage Bentley, originally built for the car maker’s founder in the 1930s.
The service was sung by the Chester Cathedral Choir, accompanied by a group of musicians from the north-west of England.
The Bishop of Chester, the Right Reverend Mark Tanner, also preached and prayers were led by the Right Reverend Canon Rosie Woodall.