Prince William arrived in Chester to celebrate his dear friend, the Duke of Westminster’s fairytale wedding to Olivian Henson.
The Prince of Wales has arrived in Chester to attend the most highly anticipated society wedding of the year.
Prince William’s close friend, Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, 33, married, Olivia Henson, 31, at Chester Cathedral in a fairytale ceremony which took place at noon at northwest England’s historic building, with around 400 eclectic guests in attendance.
The heir to the throne was pictured rushing into the cathedral via a side entrance, as hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the extravaganza.
Princess Eugenie was also pictured arriving at the cathedral, while Hugh himself arrived shortly before 11.30am.
The groom looked dapper in a black longtail coat, a black waistcoat, grey pin-striped trousers, a white and light blue shirt and a pink tie which featured dragonflies.
He arrived at the ceremony in a green Land Rover and waved to the crowds who had gathered in the streets just before greeting the Dean of Chester the Rev Dr Tim Stratford and going inside.
Bride Olivia looked stunning in a beautiful wedding dress and veil designed by Emma Victoria Payne. She wore the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara – a family heirloom since 1906, while her bouquet was made of flowers picked from the gardens of the duke’s family home.
Prince Harry, who is also close friends with “Hughie” as he is known to friends and family, did not attend today’s ceremony and neither did his wife, Meghan Markle.
Sources have previously revealed the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Westminster reached a “mutual agreement” regarding his attendance, and both parties recognised it would be “difficult” for him to attend.
The Duke is godfather to both William and Harry’s sons, Prince George and Prince Archie. William is set to be an usher during Friday’s event, which could have seen the heir to the throne show his brother his seat, despite neither of them being on “speaking terms”.
The Princess of Wales did not attend the wedding, as she undergoes treatment for cancer.
King Charles, who is also receiving cancer treatment, and Queen Camilla were neither in attendance, as the pair travelled to France on Thursday for events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy and the monarch likely needed to rest.
Many of the guests were pictured waving and smiling as they made their way into church.
Today’s private ceremony was followed by a lavish reception at Eaton Hall, while tomorrow the pair will host another smaller reception for friends and family. Details of both receptions have been kept to a minimum.
Since the 15th century, Eaton Hall has served as the Grosvenor family’s country residence.
The 11,500-acre property which is located in Cheshire, will be home to Hugh and Olivia’s future family as the Duke and Duchess of Westminster.
Hugh – once described as the UK’s most eligible bachelor – was yet again named the wealthiest person in the UK under the age of 40 by the Sunday Times.
According to the outlet’s 2024 Rich List, the 33-year-old – known to friends as “Hughie” – has a net worth of £10.127billion – which is a substantial increase (£249million) from the £9.878billion he had in 2023.
Hugh also ranked as the 14th (compared to 11th last year) richest person in the UK overall in its Rich List for 2024.