Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster
Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, DL (born 29 January 1991), is a British aristocrat and businessman. He inherited his and control of the Grosvenor Estate, then worth an estimated $9 billion, from his father in 2016. As such, the Duke is one of the wealthiest men in Britain. In 2023, Bloomberg estimated that the Duke had a net worth of approximately $9.42 billion. He ranked eleventh on the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of $9.878 billion.
Early Life and Education
Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor was born on 29 January 1991 in London as the third child and only son of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Natalia (née Phillips).
His baptism on 23 June 1991 was attended by Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III), who was named one of his godparents. He was styled as Earl of Grosvenor from his birth until 2016, when his father died and he became the seventh Duke.
Through his mother, the Duke descends from the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, specifically from Nicholas I of Russia, and also from the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalia Nikolayevna Goncharovna.
He was raised at Eton Hall in Cheshire, the Grosvenor family seat with his three sisters: Lady Tamara, Lady Edwina, and Lady Viola. They attended a local public primary school.
Afterwards, the Duke attended the small, private Mostyn House School, followed by Ellesmere College in Shropshire. He later studied at Newcastle University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Countryside Management.
Career
After graduating, the Duke worked in estate management at Wheatsheaf Group, a food and agriculture investment business based in the Eaton estate and owned by the Grosvenor Group. He then became an account manager at bio-bean, a sustainability company that turns coffee waste into bioproducts, such as logs and biofuel.
Upon his father’s death in August 2016, the Duke inherited, as well as the peerage, a wealth then estimated at $9 billion, with considerable trust funds for his sisters. This wealth is held in a trust, of which the 7th Duke of Westminster, as he became, is a beneficial owner but not the legal owner-an arrangement that received considerable media attention, owing to the inheritance tax exemption it confers.
The Duke is now the owner and chair of trustee of the Grosvenor Group, a real estate development and investment company with a portfolio of properties in Europe, Asia and North America, as well as investments in food and agricultural technology companies.
The Duke was one of the peers carrying the Royal Standards at the 2023 coronation. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Cheshire on 9 June 2023.
Philanthropy
The Duke is the chair of trustee of the Westminster Foundation, a charitable organization that focuses on helping vulnerable youth and their families by supporting local communities and educational e-spaces, and fighting inequality of opportunities.
He also continues to support the DNRC or the Defence and National Rehabilitation Center, an organization established by his father that helps wounded British military veterans.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Duke donated $12.5 million to the national COVID relief effort and to support the NHS, and $1 million to the University of Orford to fund research projects on mental health and psychology.
Personal Life
The Duke is a close friend of Prince William and Prince Harry. In October 2013, he was named one of seven godparents of William's eldest child, Prince George.
In April 2023, the Duke's engagement to Olivia Grace Henson (born 1992) was announced. They are set to be married on 7 June 2024 at Chester Cathedral.
Titles
29 January 1991-9 August 2016 Earl of Grosvenor
9 August 2016 His Grace The Duke of Westminster
