Britain’s “Most Eligible Bachelor” Marries Olivia Henson in a Modern Bridgerton-esque Wedding

By Emily Shiffer

 

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One of Britain’s “most eligible bachelors” is—to aptly quote Bridgerton—off the marriage market. Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson exchanged vows at Chester Cathedral in northern England on Friday, June 7. The ceremony saw one of the wealthiest men in Britain exchange vows in front of the Prince of Wales and Princess Eugenie. The nuptials are being referred to as a “modern Bridgerton” love story.

Here are 8 things you need to know: 

  1. Prince William and the Duke of Westminster go way back and are longtime close friends. The Duke of Westminster is actually the godfather of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son, Prince George, and also Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s son, Prince Archie. 
  2. During the ceremony, Prince William served as an usher. Prince Harry, however, was not in attendance. According to PEOPLE, Haz declined his invitation.
  3. The wedding was set to be one of the most notable weddings of the British aristocracy in 2024—or according to The Times, “the most royal non-royal wedding of the year.”
  4. The bride wore a dress by London-based designer Emma Victoria Payne. The billowing dress incorporated floral motifs from a veil once worn by her great-grandmother that dates back to 1880 and featured a six-foot-long train. Underneath her veil, she wore the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, which was originally made for the Grosvenors in 1906 to be worn by the family’s brides on their wedding days.
  5. Ahead of the wedding, the bride and groom confirmed funding of the annual Summer Flowers project, which involves 100,000 flowers being planted across the city, as well as paying for people to get free ice cream on the day of the wedding, provided by three local businesses. “I’m unbelievably excited,” Grosvenor told reporters on a recent visit to a charity that he supports ahead of the wedding. “I also just want to make it very clear how unbelievably helpful people have been, how supportive they’ve been so far, which I’m grateful for. Because I do realize that [the wedding] is going to be a big thing for the city. It’s going to be certainly a huge thing for us, so we’re really grateful for all of the help.”
  6. Celebrations at the Eaton Estate will continue this afternoon and evening.
  7. After two years of dating, The Duke of Westminster proposed to Olivia in April 2023 at his family’s estate, Eaton Hall, in Cheshire, which has been home to the Grosvenor family since the 1400s and is where Hugh grew up. Considered one of Britain’s most eligible bachelors not only for his title, The Duke of Westminster is also one of the wealthiest men in the U.K. (with his family’s net worth estimated to be $12.8 billion, according to The Sunday Times.) He gained his title in 2016 after the sudden death of his father.
  8. Olivia is now the Duchess of Westminster. She previously attended Trinity College and currently works for Belazu, a gourmet food company, and much like Hugh seems relatively low key despite the role she’s stepping into. “[Eaton Hall] is obviously a place where we will live, where we’ll be building our lives together,” Olivia told Town & Country in May 2024. “And we’re slowly transitioning to move up from London and be much more permanent here and really putting roots down.”