| His Grace The Duke of Westminster | |
|---|---|
| |
| His Grace as photographed by Allan Warren in 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 December 1951 Omagh, Northern Ireland |
| Spouse(s) | Natalia née Phillips |
| Parents | Robert Grosvenor (deceased) Viola née Lyttelton (deceased) |
| Residence | Eaton Hall, Cheshire |
| Website | www.grosvenorestate.com |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |  British Army
|
| Rank | Major General |
| Born | 22 December 1951 |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
British Army |
| Years of service | 1973–present |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | North Irish Horse |
| Commands held |
Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets), 2004–2007 Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves), 2011–2012 |
| Awards |
Knight of the Order of the Garter Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Territorial Decoration Canadian Forces Decoration (Canada) |
Major-General Sir Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, Bt. KG CB CVO OBE TD CD DL (born 22 December 1951), is a British military officer and the son of Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Hon. Viola Maud Lyttelton. He is the owner of property company Grosvenor Group.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2012, the Duke of Westminster is worth £7.35 billion, placing him seventh in the list[1] and making him the richest British-born person.
He was educated at Harrow School and RMA Sandhurst. In 2005, he was elected Chancellor of the University of Chester.
Via Grosvenor Estates, the Duke is the richest property developer in the United Kingdom and one of the country's largest landowners, with vast estates in Oxford, Cheshire and Scotland, as well as large areas of Mayfair and Belgravia in central London.
Military career[]
After leaving Harrow with a single O-level, then Earl Grosvenor, he joined the Territorial Army in 1970 as a trooper.
  The Duke behind his desk in 1988 |
In 1973 he entered Sandhurst and subsequently commanded the North Irish Horse, The Cheshire Yeomanry Squadron, founded by his ancestors, and The Queen's Own Yeomanry. He was also appointed the Honorary Colonel of several Regiments, including the 7th Regt. Army Air Corps, the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry, the Queen's Own Yeomanry, Northumbrian Universities Officer Training Corps, Colonel in Chief of the Canadian Royal Westminster Regiment, the North Irish Horse and Colonel Commandant Yeomanry.
The Duke was Grand Prior of the Priory of England for the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, 1995–2001.
In 2004 the Duke was appointed to the new post of Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets), with promotion to the rank of Major-General.
In March 2007, having served in the Ministry of Defence as Assistant CDS for four years, he handed over responsibility for 50,000 Reservists and 138,000 Cadets to Major-General Simon Lalor.[2] The Duke became Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) in May 2011.[3]
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for his military service in the 2008 Birthday Honours. He is also an Honorary Vice President of the Royal United Services Institute. He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for his service as a member of the Council of the Duchy of Cornwall.[4]
Personal life[]
As a child the Duke lived on an island in the middle of Lough Erne. His early education was in Northern Ireland before attending Sunningdale School and Harrow School.
The Duke of Westminster married Natalia Ayesha Phillips, the daughter of Lt Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife Georgina Wernher, in 1978. His wife is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander S. Pushkin and therefore of his African ancestor Ibrahim Hannibal as well as of King George II, making her distantly in line to the British throne. Their children are:
- Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor (b. 20 December 1979), married Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem (6 November 2004), with two sons, Jake Louis Hannibal van Cutsem (b. 2009) and Louis Hugh Lupus van Cutsem (b. 17 April 2012).[5]
- Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (b. 4 November 1981), a god-daughter of Princess Diana,[6] married Daniel Robert Snow (27 November 2010). The couple have a daughter, Zia Snow (b. 2011).
- Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor (b. 29 January 1991), the Duke's heir apparent. The Earl is one of Prince George of Cambridge's seven godparents.[7]
- Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor (b. 12 October 1992)
Titles and styles[]
- Gerald Grosvenor, Esq (1951–67)
- Earl Grosvenor (1967–79)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. (1979–82)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. DL (1982–94)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. TD DL (1994–95)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. OBE TD DL (1995–2003)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. KG OBE TD DL (2003–04)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. KG OBE TD CD DL (2004–08)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. KG CB OBE TD CD DL (2008–12)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster Bt. KG CB CVO OBE TD CD DL (2012–Present)
- Orders
20 February 1979 Baronet, 15th Baronet of Eaton (cr. 1621)- 1991 Knight of the Order of St John
- 1995 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 2003 Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG)
- 2008 Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
- 2012 Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)
- Decorations
- 1994 Territorial Decoration (TD)
- 2004 Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)
- Medals
- 6 February 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
- 6 February 2002 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
- 6 February 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
- 29 May 2012 Volunteer Reserves Service Medal
Foreign Honours
- 1995 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lazarus, (House of Orléans)
- 2006 Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I, (House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies)
- Appointments
- 1982 Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire (DL)
Honorary military appointments[]
- Honorary Colonel The Queen's Own Yeomanry
- Honorary Colonel 7th Regt. Army Air Corps
- Colonel-in-Chief Royal Westminster Regiment, New Westminster, BC, Canada
- Honorary Colonel Yeomanry, Royal Armoured Corps
- Honorary Colonel Northumbrian Universities Officer Training Corps
Ancestry[]
Arms of the Grosvenor family
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See also[]
- List of billionaires
References[]
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbbcnews - ↑ Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff steps down, Daily Mail, Retrieved 2012-03-31.
- ↑ "Defence Viewpoints". http://www.defenceviewpoints.co.uk/defence-news/up-and-out-june-2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ↑ "No. 60173". 16 June 2012. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/60173/page/
- ↑ Louis Hugh Lupus van Cutsem, Peerage News, Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ↑ "Diana's godchildren". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-228883/IS-THIS-THE-LAST-BETRAYAL.html.
- ↑ Saad, Nardine (23 October 2013). "Prince George christened; William and Kate name seven godparents". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-prince-george-christening-kate-middleton-prince-william-godparents-20131023,0,3062714.story#axzz2iZlnkEvm. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
External links[]
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Westminster
- Debrett's People of Today
- Sunday Times Rich List 2009
- Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People
- Institution of Environmental Sciences
- 6th Duke of Westminster
The original article can be found at Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and the edit history here.