Inside the Duke of Westminster's connections to the royal family

The Duke of Westminster, who will wed Olivia Henson on 7 June, is widely known to be a close friend of Prince William and Prince Harry, but what else do we know about the family's connections to the royal family?

Hugh's late father, Gerald Grosvenor, was a confidante of King Charles and even asked the then Prince of Wales to be his son's godfather following Hugh's birth in 1990.

Gerald's widow, Natalia, is a godmother to Prince William and in turn, the late Diana, Princess of Wales was chosen to be godmother to Gerald's second daughter, Lady Edwina Grosvenor.

The two families' connections have remained strong throughout the years, with William asking his pal Hugh to be one of Prince George's godparents.

And while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave the identities of Archie's godparents private following his christening in 2019, it has since emerged that Hugh was also given the honour for Harry and Meghan's son.

MORE ON THE DUKE OF WESTMINSTER

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The Grosvenor family have been among the guests at many a royal gathering, including William and Kate's wedding in 2011, and Harry and Meghan's nuptials in 2018.

The late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended Gerald and Natalia's eldest daughter Lady Tamara's wedding to William's close friend, Edward Van Cutsem at Chester Cathedral in 2004.

As well as being one of the wealthiest landowners in Britain, Gerald was renowned for his charity work and was a supporter of Charles' organisation, The Prince's Trust.

Their respect for one another was evident when Charles asked Gerald to become a private mentor and a guide to a young Prince William.

There was a huge royal turnout at the memorial service for the 6^th Duke of Westminster following his untimely death at the age of 64. Gerald suffered a heart attack on his Abbeystead Estate and later died at Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire on 9 August 2016.

Gerald's only son, Hugh, became the Duke of Westminster at the age of 25 was ranked 11^th on the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £9.9 billion after inheriting the Grosvenor estate.

The Grosvenor family's connections to the royal family can also be traced back to Queen Victoria's reign when she bestowed the title upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3^rd Marquess of Westminster in 1874, making it the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to royalty.