Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster
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For other people named Gerald Grosvenor, see Gerald Grosvenor (disambiguation).
Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, KG, OBE, TD, DL (born 22 December 1951), is the son of Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Hon. Viola Maud Lyttelton. In 2005, he became chancellor of the University of Chester.
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[edit] Business Interests
The richest aristocrat in the United Kingdom, the Duke topped the Sunday Times Rich List as Britain's wealthiest individual for many years and was surpassed only in 2004 by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The Duke was 3rd in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, behind Roman Abramovich and the Indian-born industrialist, Lakshmi Mittal, who currently holds first place. An estimated fortune of £6.6 billion ($12.23 billion) is derived largely from property in central London, where he owns approximately 300 acres (1.2 km²) of the most exclusive commercial and residential property in Mayfair and Belgravia (including the land on which the US Embassy stands, in Grosvenor Square), as well as estates in Lancashire, Cheshire (Eaton Hall) and Scotland. In addition to managing its traditional holdings, the Duke's property company, the Grosvenor Group, is an active property developer with interests around the world. It is the main developer of The Paradise Project in Liverpool.
[edit] Military Career
The Duke joined the Territorial Army in 1970 as a trooper. After long service, including commanding 'C' squadron (The Cheshire Yeomanry) and his regiment, The Queen's Own Yeomanry, he became Honorary Colonel-in-Chief of several regiments, including The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry, 7th Regt. Army Air Corps, and the Canadian Royal Westminster Regiment and Colonel Commandant Yeomanry, Royal Armoured Corps. In 2004 he was appointed to the new post of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets) with promotion to the rank of Major General. He is the first reservist holding such rank since the 1930s.
[edit] Personal life
The Duke married Natalia Ayesha Phillips, the daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife Georgina Wernher, in 1978. The Duchess is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander S. Pushkin, and therefore of his ancestor Ibrahim Hannibal. The Duke and Duchess have four children:
- Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor (b. December 20, 1979) married Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem (November 6, 2004)
- Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (b. November 3, 1981)
- Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor (b. January 29, 1991), the Duke's heir apparent.
- Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor (b. October 12, 1992)
[edit] Titles & Honours
[edit] Styles
- Gerald Grosvenor, Esq. (1951–1967)
- Earl Grosvenor (1967–1979)
- His Grace The Duke of Westminster (1979–present)
[edit] Honours
- Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (2003)
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1995)
- Territorial Decoration (1994)
- Deputy Lieutenant (Cheshire) (1982)
[edit] Honorary military appointments
- Colonel-in-Chief The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
- Colonel-in-Chief 7th Regt. Army Air Corps
- Colonel-in-Chief Canadian Royal Westminster Regiment
- Colonel Commandant Yeomanry, Royal Armoured Corps.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Honorary Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: None |
Chancellor of the University of Chester 2005 – present |
Incumbent |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Robert Grosvenor |
Duke of Westminster 1979 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by: His Grace The Duke of Abercorn |
United Kingdom Order of Precedence (gentlemen) |
Succeeded by: His Grace The Duke of Fife |
Categories: 1951 births | Living people | Dukes in the Peerage of the United Kingdom | Knights of the Garter | Forbes World's Richest People | Billionaires | British business people | Baronets in the Baronetage of England | British Army generals | Officers of the Order of the British Empire | Natives of Cheshire | Recipients of the Territorial Decoration | Grosvenor family
