He is godfather to a future king, and now owns a large chunk of the most exclusive parts of London. At just 25, Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, who has become the 7th Duke of Westminster after the sudden death of his 64-year-old father on Tuesday, will inherit a family fortune estimated by American business magazine Forbes at about £9bn, and the ancestral seat Eaton Hall in Cheshire.
Though the third of four siblings, the duke, previously known by the honorary title Earl Grosvenor, is the only son of the late Duke of Westminster and his wife, Natalia.
Little is publicly known of the former student of countryside management at Newcastle University. His family guarded his privacy as he was growing up as heir apparent to the vast fortune, which now makes him the third wealthiest landowner in the UK, and, according to Forbes, the 68th wealthiest person in the world.
He has kept largely out of the limelight, though found himself the subject of media attention when he became the youngest and wealthiest of Prince George’s godparents.
His 21st birthday party at Eaton Hall, which reportedly cost £5m, also made the newspapers. He hosted about 800 guests, including Prince Harry, at the “black tie and neon” bash, where comedian Michael McIntyre and hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks topped the bill.
Guests who wanted to give a gift were asked to contribute to the the young earl’s large wine collection. He told the Chester Chronicle at the time: “The party was simply amazing – a birthday and a party I will never forget. It is the beginning of a new era in my life and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”
Though the 7th Duke of Westminster has two older sisters, he inherits the title and estate, which includes 190 acres in Belgravia and thousands of acres in Scotland and Spain, through the rule of primogeniture, which puts male children ahead of female siblings irrespective of age. The primogeniture law for the British monarchy was abolished in 2013 before the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child, Prince George.
Described as “baby-faced” and “absurdly rich” by Vanity Fair magazine, the young earl made an appearance on the Tatler List, with the description: “Hughie’s a Newcastle graduate with his own wine collection who goes wild for the girls”, adding that after inheriting his father’s estate he would “own half of London”.
Unlike many of his social contemporaries, the new duke was not educated at boarding school, but attended a state primary before going to a private day school close to home in Cheshire.
He is two years younger than his father was when he took on the fortune aged 27, and currently works as an account manager for Bio-bean, a green technology company that recycles waste coffee grounds into advanced biofuels and biochemicals.
His family has long had close links to the royals. His father was a close friend of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who were said by Clarence House to be “deeply shocked and greatly saddened” by the death.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had been made aware of the news and a message of condolence was being sent to the family, while Kensington Palace said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were very sad to learn of the Duke of Westminster’s passing yesterday. Their thoughts are very much with his family this morning.”
The 7th Duke of Westminster’s mother, Natalia, Duchess of Westminster, is one of Prince William’s godparents. His sister Lady Tamara is married to Edward Van Cutsem, whose family have long been close to Charles, William and Harry. Another Van Cutsem brother, William, is also a godparent to Prince George.
Another sister, Lady Edwina, is married to the historian and television presenter Dan Snow. His youngest sister, Lady Viola Grosvenor, is a supporter of the children’s charity Kidscape.
Along with his inheritance, the new duke is also likely to take on responsibility for the Westminster Foundation, the charitable body that manages the philanthropic activities of the Grosvenor family. The foundation was set up in the 1970s and has awarded more than £40m in grants.
Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the 6th Duke of Westminster, was on his Abbeystead estate in the Trough of Bowland, Lancashire, when he became unwell. He was airlifted to Royal Preston hospital, where he died. A spokeswoman for Lancashire constabulary said there were no suspicious circumstances and a file would be passed to the coroner.
The origins of the Grosvenor family fortune date back more than 300 years when an ancestor of the new duke, Sir Thomas Grosvenor, married wealthy heiress Mary Davies, who had inherited a medieval manor in Middlesex and 500 acres of undeveloped land west of London.
Part of that land, which forms part of the Grosvenor’s London estate, was built on by the family in the early 18th century and became known as Mayfair, named after the annual Mayday fair. A second big development by the family 100 years later became Belgravia, named after the village of Belgrave, near the family’s country seat in Cheshire.
After that the family business expanded globally with overseas developments in the Americas, Australia, Asia and Europe.
The 6th Duke of Westminster was credited for his charity work, which included making a £500,000 donation to farmers during the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak. He also fought a legal battle against Westminster city council in 1990 to protect a number of social housing flats built on the family’s land in Pimlico, London, which the council wanted to sell.
Of his wealth, the duke once said: “Given the choice, I would rather not have been born wealthy, but I never think of giving it up. I can’t sell. It doesn’t belong to me.”
He grew up in an isolated rural community in Northern Ireland believing he was destined to become a beef farmer. He was educated at Harrow, where he gained two O-levels, and Sandhurst, and later went to work on ranches in Australia and Canada. His inheritance meant he was forced to abandon later dreams of a military career, though he did serve with the Territorial Army.
He had a nervous breakdown and depression in 1998, saying the pressures of business and the great number of public appearances he was making had overwhelmed him.
Speaking about his son in 1993, he said: “He’s been born with the longest silver spoon anyone can have, but he can’t go through life sucking on it. He has to put back what he has been given.”