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Duke of Westminster at memorial service© Getty

The Duke of Westminster tops Britain's richest people under 40

Hugh Grosvenor inherited the dukedom and family fortune in 2016

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
May 17, 2024
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The Duke of Westminster has topped The Sunday Times Rich List for the under 40s in Britain.

Hugh Grosvenor, 33, who will soon marry his bride Olivia Henson, has an estimated wealth of £10.127 billion, rising from £9.878 billion in 2023, according to the newspaper.

The Duke inherited the Grosvenor estate from his late father, Gerald, who died at the age of 64 in 2016.

The property group has a portfolio which spans 40 cities worldwide and large estates in Lancashire and Scotland.

The Grosvenor Group also owns about 300 acres of land in Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as major city centre developments such as Liverpool's ONE shopping centre.

The Duke took 15th place on The Sunday Times Rich List overall with his £10 billion fortune, down from 11th in 2023.

Hugh was just 25 when he inherited the dukedom and control of the family's business. The Grosvenor family's ancestral seat, Eaton Hall, is located in Cheshire, close to where the Duke and Olivia will tie the knot at Chester Cathedral on 7 June.

Despite the family's wealth, Hugh's parents, Gerald and Natalia sent him to a local primary school before he was enrolled at the private Mostyn House School and then Ellesmere College in Shropshire. He later studied Countryside Management at Newcastle University.

Olivia Henson walking with the Duke of Westminster© Grosvenor 2024
Hugh will marry Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral in June

As well as his role as Chair of the Grosvenor Trustees, the Duke has his Westminster Foundation, which represents the charitable interests of the Duke and Grosvenor businesses.

Hugh's engagement to account manager Olivia Henson was announced in April 2023, after the pair had been dating for two years.

Hugh Grosvenor and Prince William at the DNRC in 2018© Getty
Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster is close to William and Harry

The Grosvenor family has long had a close connection to the British royal family, with the Duke chosen to be godfather to the Prince and Princess of Wales's son, Prince George, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son, Prince Archie.

It has been widely reported that the King and Queen, and Prince William, Princess Kate and their children have been invited to the wedding but it's not known which royals will be in attendance on the day.

King Charles' wealth

The King's personal wealth has jumped by £10 million to £610 million in the last year, according to analysis by The Sunday Times Rich List.

Charles, who acceded to the throne less than two years ago, ranks 258th in the list of the UK's 350 wealthiest people and families, up from 263rd place in 2023.

King Charles III during The Sovereign's Creative Industries Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on May 15, 2024 in London© Getty
The King's wealth has reportedly increased

Calculations by the newspaper's Rich List suggest the monarch has benefited from a boost to the net worth of his properties.

His inherited private estates Sandringham in Norfolk and Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, which belonged to his mother the late Queen, are said to account for much of his financial fortune.

Balmoral castle © Alamy
The King inherited the Sandringham and Balmoral (pictured) estates from Queen Elizabeth II

Only personal assets – not the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, nor the Crown Jewels which are held in trust by the King for the nation – are included by The Sunday Times when assessing the sovereign's wealth.

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