When she leaves Chester Cathedral on 7 June, the most talked-about bride of the season will no longer be Miss Olivia Henson – instead, the 31-year-old will be styled the seventh Duchess of Westminster, wife to one of the richest men in the country. She will join a strong line of previous Duchesses in her new role, one that includes socialites, charitable powerhouses, musicians and even an Olympian. Here, delves into the history of the six Duchesses of Westminster.
The daughter of the second Duke of Sutherland, Lady Constance married her first cousin – Hugh Grosvenor, the third Marquess of Westminster – when she was just 17 years old in 1852. The ceremony, which took place in the Chapel Royal, was a rather special event, as it was in the presence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Royals weren’t just there on account of the Marquess, however; Constance’s mother, Lady Harriet Howard, had been Mistress of the Robes to the Queen and an apparent favourite.
When Constance gave birth to the couple’s first child (a son, Victor, in 1853) Queen Victoria was chosen as a godmother. Although the new Grosvenors inherited Eaton Hall, a vast estate in Cheshire, it was not until many years later that Hugh was given the title of Duke of Westminster. As a keen politician and a close compatriot of William Gladstone, the title was created for him in 1874.
Sadly, Constance died of Bright’s disease in 1880 – but not before she had given birth to 10 more children. Two years aft.
