Prince William's friend, the Duke of Westminster, blasted as 'stingy' as taxpayers made to pay for policing at multi-billionaire's wedding
The newlyweds leave the ceremony at Chester Cathedral
PA
The Duke of Westminster has been slammed as "stingy" after it emerged British taxpayers would have to stump up the cash to pay for policing at his wedding.
The duke, Hugh Grosvenor, is one of Britain's richest men - and boasted Prince William as an usher as he tied the knot at the start of last month - but despite taking on local police at his Chester Cathedral marriage, it has been revealed he won't have to pay the bill.
At a meeting of Cheshire's Police and Crime Panel, the force said the wedding was considered a public event akin to a football match, with officers drafted in to provide security and police crowds outside the 16th-Century venue.
The Mail revealed that police had also admitted that they didn't know the total cost of their operation - which involved getting a handle on some Just Stop Oil disruption - saying their role "fell within their ordinary public duty".
The Duke and Duchess of Westminster tied the knot in a ceremony at Chester Cathedral
GettyEvan Morris, the panel's chair, blasted the news, saying: "We're looking at very, very substantial costs for policing that wedding... It took nine months to plan and Cheshire police haven't managed to put a price on the cost."
Because the wedding was considered a public event, the duke, worth some £10billion, was under no legal obligation to foot the bill - leaving the cost at the behest of local council tax payers.
The TaxPayers' Alliance pitched into the controversy - spokesman William Yarwood said: "Taxpayers will feel let down by the duke's stinginess. The cost of policing this event was huge and for ordinary Brits to foot the whole bill feels deeply unfair.
"A contribution to these costs would be a noble act of patriotism from the Duke."
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Just Stop OilCheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Dan Price also referenced rules on football matches, where security outside the venues is under the police's remit - but not inside.
He said: "I'm sure Cheshire's chief constable would be thrilled to be able to charge for that but it's not something we can do… The public are paying for that, for instance, on a weekly basis all over the country.
"We're not able to request a payment. I don't believe the Duke is going to get married many times so hopefully this is a one-off event, but I appreciate that with that there will be a cost to the public which may feel unfair. I do understand that."
Cheshire Constabulary said: "There has been no formal approach to the Duke of Westminster regarding contributions made, following legal advice concerning NPCC (National Police Chiefs' Council) Guidance for Special Policing Services.
The Duke of Westminster arriving at Chester Cathedral ahead of his weddingPA"The central principle is that the police cannot charge for services which fall within their ordinary public duty.
"The policing response was to protect the public in a crowded space, that was Chester City centre, and to complete our obligations with regards to protected persons - ie HRH the Prince of Wales - and those who were believed to be attending in the initial planning phase."
A spokesperson for the Duke of Westminster said he "contributed to the costs of the public footprint for the wedding where there was an opportunity and a legal vehicle to do so, for example to the Local Authority".
But the duke did pay up elsewhere - decorating Chester with some 100,000 flowers and offering residents free ice creams to celebrate the occasion.