How Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor became richer than King Charles

Hugh Grosvenor's staggering wealth is hard to fathom for many.

The 33-year-old property magnate from Chester, who is the richest individual under 40 in the UK and the 14th wealthiest overall according to The Sunday Times Rich List, boasts a colossal fortune of £10bn.

This Friday, the seventh Duke of Westminster will marry his fiancée Olivia Henson in what has been labelled as the society wedding of the year. It's expected that no expense will be spared as the couple celebrate with their loved ones.

Hugh's life took a dramatic turn in 2016 when he was just 25. His father Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the sixth Duke of Westminster, passed away suddenly from a heart attack.

In that instant, Hugh became one of the nation's most affluent landowners, inheriting an extensive property portfolio that includes land in some of London's most sought-after postcodes half of Mayfair and 300 acres of Belgravia, reports the Mirror.

The Grosvenor Group, the source of this vast wealth, also owns the American Embassy, estates in Scotland and Spain, Liverpool city centre, Tokyo apartment blocks, a significant portion of Silicon Valley, and all of Annacis Island, near Vancouver. Tatler reports that the Grosvenor family's wealth primarily originates from the 1600s, when they first started purchasing land in London

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Hugh's inheritance benefited from an age-old custom known as male primogeniture, where peerages only pass down through the male line. Despite having two older sisters, Lady Tamara and Lady Edwina Grosvenor, Hugh, being their father's only son and third child, inherited the family title upon his father's passing in 2016.

Hugh also has a younger sister, Lady Viola.

Hugh was raised at Eaton Hall, the family's ancestral homestead situated in Cheshire. Eschewing the educational path of Eton or Harrow - his father despised his Harrovian schooling - he attended local private institution Mostyn House, before proceeding to Ellesmere College, an elite Shropshire boarding school that costs £8,500 per term.

After university, Hugh earned a bachelor's degree in Countryside Management from Newcastle University, then went on to work as an account manager for Bio-bean, a sustainability company that transforms coffee waste into eco-friendly products such as biofuel.

It's worth noting that despite owning more land than his godfather, King Charles, and being extremely wealthy, Hugh reportedly favours a low-profile lifestyle. He is also known for his generosity; during the pandemic, he graciously donated £12.5 million to the NHS and a further £1 million to the University of Oxford.

"On behalf of my family and everyone at the Grosvenor Estate, I want to say a huge thank you to all our amazing NHS staff and everyone providing critical frontline services," he expressed at the time.

"We are all humbled and incredibly grateful that you are working tirelessly to keep us safe and keep the country functioning. NHS staff and key workers don't work in isolation. They have children and families whose health and wellbeing will also be highly impacted by this crisis. As they keep us safe, I want to help provide as much support to them and their families as we can."

A notable moment in Hugh's life took place back in 2012 when he threw an extravagant 21st birthday party at Eaton Hall, costing an estimated £5m. It was a grand affair with about 800 guests in attendance which included Prince Harry, with entertainment provided by Michael McIntyre and Rizzle Kicks.