Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster

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His Grace The Duke of Westminster
His Grace as photographed by Allan Warren in 1997
Born	(1951-12-22) 22 December 1951 Omagh, Northern Ireland
Tenure	19 February 1979 – present
Other titles	8th Marquess of Westminster 9th Earl Grosvenor 9th Viscount Belgrave 9th Baron Grosvenor
Known for	Territorial Army officer Property development & land owning Richest Briton
Residence	Eaton Hall, Cheshire
Net worth	$11 billion (2012)^[1]
Offices	Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets), 2004–2007
Predecessor	Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke
Heir apparent	Hugh, Earl Grosvenor
Spouse(s)	Natalia née Phillips
Issue	Lady Tamara Grosvenor Lady Edwina Grosvenor Earl Grosvenor Lady Viola Grosvenor
Parents	Robert Grosvenor (deceased) Viola née Lyttelton (deceased)


Born	(1951-12-22) 22 December 1951
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1973–2012
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 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 2013, the Duke of Westminster is worth £7.8 billion, placing him eighth in the list^[2] 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 two O-levels,^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5] The Duke became Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) in May 2011.^[6] He retired in 2012.

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 (RUSI), and a member of the International Advisory Board of the RUSI.

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.^[7]

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).^[8]
Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (b. 4 November 1981), a god-daughter of Princess Diana,^[9] 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.^[10]
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 Duke of Westminster (House of Grosvenor)

Ancestors of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster

16. Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster

8. Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster

17. Lady Elizabeth Leveson-Gower

4. Lord Hugh Grosvenor

18. William Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham

9. Hon. Katherine Cavendish (1857-1941)

19. Henrietta Lascelles

2. Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster

20. John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne

10. John Henry Crichton, 4th Earl Erne

21. Selina Beresford

5. Lady Mabel Crichton (1882-1944)

22. William Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen

11. Lady Florence Cole (1849-1924)

23. Lady Charlotte Paget

1. Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster

24. George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton

12. Charles Lyttelton, 8th Viscount Cobham

25. Mary Glynne

6. John Cavendish Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham

26. William Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham (=18.)

13. Hon. Mary Cavendish (1853-1937)

27. Henrietta Lascelles (=19)

3. Hon. Viola Lyttelton

14. Charles Leonard

7. Violet Leonard

15. Catherine Le Sueur

Arms

Arms of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster

Coronet	A Coronet of a Duke

Crest	A Talbot statant Or

Escutcheon	Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Azure a Portcullis with chains pendant Or on a Chief of the last between two united Roses of York and Lancaster a Pale charged with the Arms of King Edward the Confessor (City of Westminster); 2nd and 3rd, Azure a Garb Or (Grosvenor)

Supporters	On either side a Talbot reguardant Or collared Azure

Motto	Virtus Non Stemma (Virtue not ancestry)

References

↑ Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor & family, Forbes, Retrieved 2012-04-28.
↑ http://features.thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist/2013/live/richlist/view/group6#list
↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/5d408ecd#p0093pds
↑ http://www.st-lazarus.org.uk/order-of-saint-lazarus/Commanderies/14/-Mersey/25/History/33/
↑ Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff steps down, Daily Mail, Retrieved 2012-03-31.
↑ "Defence Viewpoints". Retrieved 16 April 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60173. p. 3. 16 June 2012.
↑ Louis Hugh Lupus van Cutsem, Peerage News, Retrieved 2012-06-14.
↑ "Diana's godchildren". Daily Mail.
↑ Saad, Nardine (23 October 2013). "Prince George christened; William and Kate name seven godparents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 October 2013.

External links

Military offices
New title	Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets) 2004–2007	Succeeded by Simon Lalor
New title	Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) 2011–2012	Succeeded by Ranald Munro
Academic offices
New title	Chancellor of the University of Chester 2005–present	Incumbent
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Robert Grosvenor	Duke of Westminster 1979–present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Hugh Grosvenor
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Duke of Abercorn	Gentlemen His Grace The Duke of Westminster	Succeeded by The Duke of Fife

v t e Dukes of Westminster

Grosvenor Baronets of Eaton	Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet (1622–45) Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet (1645–65) Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet (1665–1700) Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet (1700–32) Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 5th Baronet (1732–33) Sir Robert Grosvenor, 6th Baronet (1733–55) Sir Richard Grosvenor, 7th Baronet (1755–61)

Barons Grosvenor	Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Grosvenor (1761–84)

Earls Grosvenor	Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor (1784–1802) Robert Grosvenor, 2nd Earl Grosvenor (1767–1831)

Marquesses of Westminster	Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster (1831–45) Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (1845–69) Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster (1825–74)

Dukes of Westminster	Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster (1874–99) Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster (1899–1953) William Grosvenor, 3rd Duke of Westminster (1953–63) Gerald Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster (1963–67) Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster (1967–79) Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster (1979–present)

v t e Dukes of the peerages of the British Isles*

Royal dukes	Cornwall & Rothesay Gloucester Kent Edinburgh York Cambridge

Others	Norfolk Somerset Richmond, Lennox & Gordon Hamilton & Brandon Buccleuch & Queensberry Grafton Beaufort St Albans Bedford Devonshire Argyll Marlborough Rutland Atholl Montrose Roxburghe Manchester Northumberland Leinster Wellington Sutherland Abercorn Westminster Fife

* Current title holders, listed by date of creation, from earliest to most recent

v t e Current Members of the Order of the Garter

Ex Officio	Elizabeth II The Prince of Wales

Knights and Ladies Companion	The Lord Carrington The Duke of Wellington The Lord Bramall The Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover The Lord Ashburton Sir Ninian Stephen Sir Timothy Colman The Duke of Abercorn Sir Erskine Gladstone of Fasque and Balfour, Bt The Lord Inge Sir Antony Acland The Duke of Westminster The Lord Butler of Brockwell The Lord Morris of Aberavon Sir John Major The Lady Soames The Lord Luce Sir Thomas Dunne The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers The Lord Boyce The Lord Stirrup 3 vacancies

Royal Knights and Ladies	The Duke of Edinburgh The Duke of Kent The Princess Royal The Duke of Gloucester Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy The Duke of York The Earl of Wessex The Duke of Cambridge

Stranger Knights and Ladies	Jean of Luxembourg Margrethe II of Denmark Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Juan Carlos I of Spain Beatrix of the Netherlands Akihito of Japan Harald V of Norway

Officers	Tim Dakin (Prelate) The Duke of Abercorn (Chancellor) David Conner (Registrar) Thomas Woodcock (Garter Principal King of Arms) Patric Laurence Dickinson (Secretary) David Leakey (Black Rod)

Persondata
Name	Westminster, Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of
Alternative names
Short description	Duke of Westminster
Date of birth	22 December 1951
Place of birth	Omagh, Northern Ireland
Date of death
Place of death

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