Prince William The Earl Of Chester Attended The Wedding Of His Friend The Duke Of Westminster
Prince William is stepping into a special role at the British society wedding of the year.
The Prince of Wales, 41, served as an usher at the nuptials of his friend Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, to Olivia Henson, the new Duchess of Westminster, at Chester Cathedral in northern England on June 7. Ushers are traditionally among the first to arrive at a wedding, tasked with welcoming guests and guiding them to their seats.
While the heir to the throne is usually seen arriving at formal events in State Cars or carriages, William opted for a more low-key approach for the occasion. In a video captured by the Mail on Sunday, he was seen arriving with other guests in a Sprinter van and quietly entered the cathedral through a side entrance.
The Duke of Westminster is the richest person in the U.K. under age 40 (with a reported family net worth of $12.8 billion) and the chair of the Grosvenor Trustees and Westminster Foundation.
Hugh’s role as a godfather to Prince George is just one of many close connections he has to the royal family. The Duke of Westminster is a godson of King Charles and his mother, Natalia, is a godmother to Prince William.
He is also a godfather to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 5-year-old son Prince Archie, though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not at his wedding on June 7. It was an “understanding between the two friends,” a source described the conversation between Harry and Hugh, and an insider close to the bride and groom tells PEOPLE that the two friends mutually made the agreement.
William’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, was also in attendance at the nuptials.
William previously served as an usher at a Grosvenor family wedding at the same venue in 2004. He and Prince Harry were ushers for the wedding of Hugh’s older sister, Lady Tamara Grosvenor, to Edward van Cutsem at Chester Cathedral. The Gothic church has nearly a thousand years of history and is not far from Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor family’s estate in Cheshire.
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Hugh, 33, and Olivia, 31, announced their engagement in April 2023 after two years of dating.
Olivia grew up in London and Oxfordshire and went on to attend Princess Kate’s alma mater, Marlborough College, and Trinity College Dublin. She most recently worked at Belazu, an artisanal food company in London, and serves on the board of trustees of the Belazu Foundation, which works to promote education and healthy eating for the next generation in the U.K. and the Mediterranean.
Speaking ahead of the wedding, a spokesperson for the couple said: “This is an incredibly special day for the Duke and Miss Henson and they are very much looking forward to the service. It means a lot to them to marry in Chester Cathedral, especially given the Grosvenor family’s long and close personal connection to both the Cathedral and the city of Chester. The couple have also been moved by the messages of support they have received from around the region and are hugely grateful that people want to share in their happiness.”
The spokesperson added: “The Duke and Miss Henson have taken a great deal of care in planning the wedding, putting their own personal stamp on all the arrangements and have made a conscious effort to involve local and regional suppliers in several aspects of the day.”