LONDON.- He prince William took a day off from royal duties to serve as a host or usher (in charge of escorting guests to their seats) at the wedding of his friend Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, an event briefly interrupted by environmental protesters.
The wedding of Grosvenor, 33, one of Britain’s richest landowners, to his partner Olivia Henson, 31, is one of Britain’s high society events of the year.
William, 41, arrived with other hosts at Chester Cathedral, in northwest England, before mass at midday. The venue is near the duke’s 10,000-acre (4,000-hectare) Eaton Hall estate, where guests attended a private wedding reception.
Hundreds of spectators gathered outside the cathedral applauded the arrival of Grosvenor, dressed in a morning suit, and Henson, in a white wedding dress by British designer Emma Victoria Payne. His long veil, which he wore over a tiara, fluttered in the wind.
As the couple left the cathedral to kiss in front of the waiting crowd, two environmental protesters sprayed orange powder from a fire extinguisher. The police quickly took them away.
Cheshire Police said a 69-year-old woman and a 73-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of public order offences. The group Just Stop Oil said they were both members of the organization demanding an end to fossil fuel extraction.
Grosvenor is godfather to Prince George, 10, the eldest son of William and his wife Catherine, popularly known as Kate.
Kate is receiving treatment for cancer and did not attend the wedding. Neither did William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, who lives in California with his wife Meghan and his two children.
Grosvenor inherited his title at the age of 25 following the death of his father in 2016. His ancestor, Sir Thomas Grosvenor, married the heiress Mary Davies and acquired what was then a fen in 1677. Over generations, the family He developed its land until it became two of the most prosperous neighborhoods in London, Mayfair and Belgravia.
The Grosvenor family estate covers 300 acres (121 hectares) in London, as well as land throughout Britain, and homes, offices and commercial spaces around the world.
The Sunday Times rich list for 2024 estimated the duke’s wealth at just over £10 billion ($12.8 billion).
FUENTE: AP
