Thousands gather for Duke of Westminster’s wedding

Members of the public arrived outside Chester Cathedral hoping to catch a glimpse of the event and Prince William, who was an usher.

Olivia Henson and Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster leave Chester Cathedral after their wedding (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Thousands of people lined the streets of Chester for the wedding of the Duke of Westminster, where the Prince of Wales acted as an usher.

The crowds waited outside Chester Cathedral from early morning to catch a glimpse of the event and cheered as billionaire aristocrat Hugh Grosvenor, 33, and his new bride Olivia Henson, 31, kissed outside after the ceremony.

Just Stop Oil protesters let off orange powder as William left the building with other members of the wedding party, but the two female activists were quickly removed by police while other onlookers booed them.

William, a close friend of Hugh Grosvenor, went through a side entrance, out of the view of many of the crowds, when he arrived on Friday morning.

He stood towards the back of the wedding party as they left the cathedral.

The bride’s veil, designed by Emma Victoria Payne and featuring an embroidery design which incorporated floral motifs from Ms Henson’s great-great-grandmother’s veil from around 1880, blew in the wind as she arrived at the cathedral at midday to cheers from the public.

Her dress was made by the same designer and she accessorised with blue shoes and the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara made for Grosvenor brides to wear on their wedding day, which has been in the family since 1906.

She arrived with her father in a vintage Bentley, originally made for the car manufacturer’s founder in 1930, while the groom mad his way in a green Land Rover Defender.

Her three bridesmaids, the duke’s nieces, wore white dresses with blue ribbons and shoes.

Around 400 guests, including Princess Eugenie and TV producer Phil Redmond, left the venue in coaches to go to the reception at the Duke of Westminster’s nearby family home Eaton Hall.

The Duke of Sussex was not there after it was mutually agreed he would not attend, amid a long-running rift with his brother.

Guests did not include the King, the groom’s godfather, the Queen or the Princess of Wales, who has been out of the spotlight as she undergoes treatment for cancer.

The Duke of Westminster is godfather to William’s son Prince George, and also, reportedly, to Harry’s son Prince Archie.

The wedding was officiated by the Dean of Chester, the Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford and during the service there was sining by the Chester Cathedral Choir, accompanied by a group of musicians from north-west England.

The people of Chester were offered free ice creams in honour of the occasion, after the couple teamed up with three independent businesses to provide the treats.

Just Stop Oil said its supporters had used fire extinguishers to project powder paint as the couple made their way out.

The group said two women, who it named as Polly, 73, and Sheila, 69, were those arrested.

Sheila said: “What do we value most? The wealth of billionaires like the Duke of Westminster or the lives of the billions who are being destroyed by the fossil fuel industry? Extreme wealth and the climate crisis are both symptoms of a broken system that is not serving most ordinary people.”

Those standing near them in the crowd said them woman had been there since the early morning and had brought shopping trollies, with one of them reading a Richard Osman book to pass the time before the ceremony.

Andrea Machin, 56, said: “Everyone was watching the bride and groom and then we just saw orange and they had what looked like a fire extinguisher with them.

“The police realised quite quickly what was happening and pulled them out. One of them said it was for her grandchildren. It happened just as William was coming out of the door.”

Cheshire Police said a 69-year-old woman from Manchester, and a 73-year-old woman from Suffolk had been arrested on suspicion of public order offences.

The Duke of Westminster topped The Sunday Times 40 Under 40 Rich List earlier this year, boasting a fortune of £10.1 billion.

His bride, who grew up in London and Oxfordshire, has worked in the sustainable food and drinks industry, most recently at London-based artisanal food company Belazu.

The couple are said to have chosen the wedding venue for its beauty and because of the personal connection to the duke, whose family home Eaton Hall is nearby.

William and Harry were both ushers at the wedding of his sister Lady Tamara Grosvenor at the cathedral in 2004.

A spokesman for the duke and Ms Henson 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.”

Seasonal flowers for the ceremony were sourced from local growers and will be made into bouquets after the wedding, to be delivered to local charities, churches and organisations.

The couple announced their engagement in April last year after being together for two years.

The Duke of Westminster became an instant billionaire when he inherited his title and control of the historic Grosvenor Estate aged 25, following the death of his father from a heart attack in 2016.

His property company, Grosvenor Group, owns about 300 acres of land in London’s Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as major city centre developments such as the Liverpool One shopping centre.