Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on Friday, in what many are calling the society wedding of the decade and the “most royal non-royal nuptials.” Roads were shut down in Chester in order to accommodate the pomp and circumstance, and in an effort to help stave off any blowback, the bride and groom are funding 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.
Today, the Duke and Duchess shared their first photos as husband and wife, alongside a statement thanking those who came out to support them. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us yesterday and want to extend a special thank you to those in Chester who helped make our day so memorable,” the couple wrote. “We have been incredibly touched by everyone’s amazing support and warm wishes.”
The weekend’s events began on the morning of Friday, June 7, around 11:30 a.m., as the groom made his way from the Grosvenor family home on the Eaton Estate to Chester Cathedral in a dark green Land Rover Defender, with his three best men following closely behind. Just before midday, the bride arrived in a vintage Bentley, wearing a dress by the London-based designer Emma Victoria Payne.