A modern-day fairytale: all the ways the Duke of Westminster and ...

A modern-day fairytale: Crowds gathered outside Chester Town Hall to celebrate the wedding of Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, and Olivia Henson

The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, comes from an ancient lineage – with a family name stretching back half a millennium to the 1600s. When he ties the knot with Olivia Henson today, though, it will be a contemporary culmination of a modern-day fairy tale.

The couple will say ‘I do’ under the vaulted ceilings of Chester Cathedral, the Norman-era architectural wonder that’s even older than the Grosvenor name. The Dean of Chester, the Very Reverend Dr Tim Stratford, told the MailOnline that the Duke and Olivia Henson have chosen a ‘contemporary’ service, and have decided not to use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

It’s another sign that the Duke of Westminster, the richest Briton under 40, is far more low-key than his £10 billion fortune might suggest. The couple have employed a strict ‘no gifts’ policy ahead of their wedding today and have politely requested that guests refrain from posting to social media during the ceremony.

The Dean said: ‘In many ways this is like any other couple getting married, just on a larger scale, because they are somewhat in the public eye and some of their guests are definitely in the public eye.

‘The couple at the centre of this want to declare their undying love for one another in the presence of witnesses, family and friends and we are here to provide the stage.’

The couple have adorned Chester Cathedral, and the city of Cheshire, with hundreds of thousands of flowers ahead of their big day today

And who is on the guest list for the society wedding of the year? Prince William will play a crucial role at the Duke of Westminster’s wedding, acting as usher in a reprise of his position at Lady Tamara Grosvenor’s wedding, also held at Chester Cathedral, ten years ago. Kate Middleton is not expected to attend as she continues to recovery from cancer treatment in private. King Charles, who attended D-Day commemoration events in Normandy alongside Queen Camilla yesterday, has also turned down his invitation.

Princess Eugenie, however, has been spotted enjoying the hospitality of the nearby Grosvenor Hotel. Barring a very peculiar coincidence, we can expect to see the Late Queen’s granddaughter watching on as the Grosvenor couple tie the knot.

The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson will celebrate their first hours as newly-weds during a reception at Eaton Hall, the 11,000-acre Grosvenor family seat in Cheshire where Hugh spent his childhood alongside sisters Lady Tamara, Lady Edwina, and Lady Viola.

Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson announced their engagement in April 2023

In another modern-day touch for this contemporary couple, there will be no horse and carriage for the bride-to-be, for now at least. According to The Telegraph, Olivia will travel to Chester Cathedral in a 1930 vintage Bentley alongside her father, Rupert. The car, says the outlet, was produced especially for Walter Owen Bentley, the founder of Bentley Motors himself.

Hugh and Olivia will, perhaps, need a slightly bigger automobile when they move back to Cheshire following their big day today. Friends have noted that the Duke of Westminster is keen to put his Countryside Management degree to good use and get stuck in with local farming charities.

The Dean of Chester told Hello! that the couple had made ‘quite the decision’ to host their nuptials at the Cathedral. The Grosvenor family have strong ties to the Norman-era architectural wonder, attending family weddings, funerals, and remembrance services throughout the years.

The Duke's parents did not elect to tie the not at Chester Cathedral, however. When Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster married Natalia Phillips 46 years ago, they preferred to host their wedding closer to Phillips' family seat of Luton Hoo.

Hugh Grosvenor's parents, Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, and Natalia Phillips on their wedding day outside St Mary's Church, Luton, February 20th 1979

Guests included some of the most illustrious names in European royalty: Princess Margaretha of Sweden, Prince George and Princess Anne of Denmark, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Lord Mountbatten of Burma, whose granddaughter, India Hicks, served as a bridesmaid. But that is not to say that the couple's nuptials lacked a contemporary edge.

The new Countess Grosvenor's tiara was originally made for Russian princess Catherine Bagration in the early 18th century. Known as ‘The Wandering Princess’, Catherine Bagration’s life of love affairs and literary salons inspired some of Europe’s greatest minds, from Victor Hugo to Honore de Balzac. We’re no cartomancienne, but many royal fans will be looking out for the Bagration tiara as Olivia Henson walks down the aisle today.

It seems like Hugh and Olivia, though, had their heart set on the Cathedral in Cheshire from the very beginning. ‘She has fallen in love with Chester,’ the Dean said. Indeed, the couple could well have chosen almost anywhere in the world to celebrate their big day. The Grosvenor property group owns swathes of land across the globe, including 50 per cent of Mayfair, a large proportion of Liverpool city centre, estates in Scotland and Spain, apartment blocks in Tokyo, a ‘large chunk’ of Silicon Valley, and, yes, the entirety of Annacis Island, just off Vancouver.

As the sun shines on the hundreds of thousands of flowers decorating Cheshire today, though, there’s likely nowhere the couple would rather be.