Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster

Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, DL (born 29 January 1991), is a British aristocrat and businessman. He inherited his title and control of the Grosvenor Estate, then worth an estimated £9 billion, from his father in 2016.[1] As such, the Duke is one of the wealthiest men in Britain. In 2023, Bloomberg estimated that the Duke had a net worth of approximately £9.42 billion.[2] He ranked eleventh on the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £9.878 billion.[3]

His Grace

The Duke of Westminster

DL
Westminster in 2018
Full name
Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor
Born (1991-01-29) 29 January 1991
London, England
Education
Occupations
  • Landowner
  • Businessman
  • Philanthropist
Parents
Relatives

Early life and education

Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor was born on 29 January 1991 in London as the third child and only son of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Natalia (née Phillips). His baptism on 23 June 1991 was attended by Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III), who was named one of his godparents. He was styled as Earl Grosvenor from his birth until 2016, when his father died and he became the seventh Duke.

Through his mother, the Duke descends from the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, specifically from Nicholas I of Russia, and also from the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalia Nikolayevna Goncharova.[4]

He was raised at Eaton Hall in Cheshire, the Grosvenor family seat with his three sisters: Lady Tamara, Lady Edwina, and Lady Viola. They attended a local public primary school. Afterwards, the Duke attended the small, private Mostyn House School, followed by Ellesmere College in Shropshire.[5] He later studied at Newcastle University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Countryside Management.[6]

Career

After graduating, the Duke worked in estate management at Wheatsheaf Group, a food and agriculture investment business based in the Eaton estate and owned by the Grosvenor Group. He then became an account manager at bio-bean, a sustainability company that turns coffee waste into bioproducts, such as logs and biofuel.[6]

Upon his father's death in August 2016, the Duke inherited, as well as the peerages, a wealth then estimated at £9 billion, with considerable trust funds for his sisters.[7] This wealth is held in a trust, of which the 7th Duke of Westminster, as he became, is a beneficial owner but not the legal owner—an arrangement that received considerable media attention, owing to the inheritance tax exemption it confers.[8][9][10][11]

The Duke is now the owner and chair of trustees of the Grosvenor Group, a real estate development and investment company with a portfolio of properties in Europe, Asia and North America, as well as investments in food and agricultural technology companies.[6]

The Duke was one of the peers carrying the Royal Standards at the 2023 coronation.[12] He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Cheshire on 9 June 2023.[13]

Philanthropy

The Duke is the chair of trustees of the Westminster Foundation, a charitable organization that focuses on helping vulnerable youth and their families by supporting local communities and educational e-spaces, and fighting inequality of opportunities.[14]

He also continues to support the DNRC or the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, an organization established by his father that helps wounded British military veterans.[15]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Duke donated £12.5 million to the national COVID relief effort and to support the NHS,[16] and £1 million to the University of Oxford to fund research projects on mental health and psychology.[16]

Personal life

The Duke is a close friend of Prince William and Prince Harry. In October 2013, he was named one of seven godparents of William's eldest child, Prince George.[17]

In April 2023, the Duke's engagement to Oliva Grace Henson (born 1992) was announced.[18] They are set to be married on 7 June 2024 at Chester Cathedral.[19][20]

Arms
Coat of arms of Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster
Notes
The dukedom of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874.
Crest
A Talbot statant Or
Escutcheon
Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Azure a Portcullis with chains pendant Or on a Chief of the last between two united Roses of York and Lancaster a Pale charged with the Arms of King Edward the Confessor (City of Westminster); 2 and 3rd, Azure a Garb Or (Grosvenor)
Supporters
On either side a Talbot reguardant Or collared Azure
Motto
Virtus Non Stemma (Virtue not ancestry)

References
  1. Davies, Caroline (10 August 2016). "New Duke of Westminster inherits £9bn fortune aged 25". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  2. "Bloomberg Billionaires Index - Hugh Grosvenor". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. "The Duke of Westminster net worth — Sunday Times Rich List 2023". The Sunday Times. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  4. "Descendant Of Pushkin And The Romanovs Becomes World's Youngest Billionaire". rbth.com. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. "Ellesmerian Magazine 2009" (PDF). ellesmere.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  6. "Duke of Westminster". www.grosvenor.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  7. Howes, Scarlet (10 August 2016). "New Duke becomes a billionaire at 25". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2016.(subscription required)
  8. Garside, Juliette (11 August 2016). "Inheritance tax: why the new Duke of Westminster will not pay billions". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  9. "How the Duke of Westminster dodged IHT – MoneyWeek". MoneyWeek. 21 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  10. "Inheritance tax, and how the Dukes of Westminster avoid it on their £9bn fortune". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  11. "Duke's £9bn inheritance prompts call for tax overhaul". The Guardian. 11 August 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  12. "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  13. "No. 64076". The London Gazette. 12 June 2023. p. 11506.
  14. "Westminster Foundation". westminsterfoundation.org.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  15. @grosvenor (18 May 2018). "In this short film, Hugh, #DukeofWestminster presents the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, an initiative of his late father, the 6th Duke of Westminster, which will become one of the world's best clinical rehabilitation centres for people with trauma injuries" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. Neate, Rupert; correspondent, Rupert Neate Wealth (15 April 2020). "Duke of Westminster donates £12.5m to NHS coronavirus fight". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  17. Duboff, Josh (23 October 2013). "Hugh Grosvenor: Meet the 22-year-old, baby-faced, absurdly rich godparent to Prince George". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  18. Bannerman, Lucy (23 April 2023). "Duke of Westminster: Prince George's godfather announces his engagement". The Times. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  19. Dougherty, Matthew (27 June 2023). "Duke of Westminster to be married at Chester Cathedral". The Standard. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  20. Bridger-Linning, Stephanie (29 June 2023). "The Duke of Westminster, Prince George's billionaire godfather, reveals his wedding date and location". Tatler. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
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