Prince Archie’s godfather, the Duke of Westminster, is planning to settle down into a life of farming after his upcoming wedding.
Hugh Grosvenor, 33, will marry duchess-to-be Olivia Henson in a ceremony at Chester Cathedral on June 7.
However, after the event, which is tipped to be the wedding of the year, the couple plan to “lay down the foundations of their future” in Chester, at their 11,000-acre Eaton Estate. Here, the duke will nurture his love of “nature, sustainability and farming”, his friends have said.
The Duke, who is close friends to both the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, has a “genuine love of the land” according to The Telegraph.
Prince Archie's godfather plans to settle down into farming life after upcoming wedding
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The 33-year-old, who has been previously dubbed “the UK’s most eligible bachelor”, is one of the country’s largest landowners. He is also president of the Country Trust, a charity which connects children from low-earning backgrounds to nature and the land “that sustains us all”.
Jill Attenborough, CEO of the charity, said that she asked the Duke to become president “not because it’s something his father did, but because I knew that he also had a genuine love of the land”.
Following his father’s death in 2016, the Duke inherited an estimated £10.12billion portfolio, which includes over 1,500 properties in 60 different countries.
She added: “He’s really aware of his responsibility as the next generation of farmers and landowners and he gently, certainly not in a sort of pushy way, tries to draw in his network as well of ‘next gen’ to talk about whether they might also welcome children into their farms and estates and showcase what they’re doing for a more sustainable future.”
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Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster will marry Olivia Henson on June 7Grosvenor 2023 / PAThe family’s sprawling estate will also host the 400 wedding guests on Friday’s service, including Prince William, who will serve as the groom’s usher.
Chester will be decorated with 100,000 flowers paid for by the Duke, who has topped the Sunday Times 40 Under 40 Rich List. Following the ceremony, they will then be donated to local charities.
Speaking to The Chester Standard, the Duke of Westminster explained: “We've obviously got a long association with the cathedral as a family so we were here for my father's memorial, my sister's wedding and every Remembrance Sunday that I can attend is here.
“But I'm unbelievably excited and I also wanted to make it very clear how unbelievably helpful people have been, how supportive they've been so far, which I'm unbelievably grateful for because I do realise that it's going to be a big, big thing for the city.
Prince Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will not be in attendance
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Prince William be performing the role of usher during the lavish ceremony
Getty“It's going to be certainly a huge thing for us and we're grateful for all the help really.”
It is not yet confirmed whether Prince George, the Duke’s godson, will have a role in the nuptials, as it falls on a school day.
The attendance of King Charles and Queen Camilla has also yet to be confirmed and the Princess of Wales will likely not be in attendance as she recovers from her cancer treatment.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan Markle will remain in the US as Archie’s godfather ties the knot.