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Hugh Grosvenor, worth $12,5 billion (which is more than R220 billion according to the latest exchange rates), was just named the richest person under 35 in the UK.

You’ve probably never heard of him or seen a picture of him, but the dude inherited the title of the Duke of Westminster (the 7th) and an extensive, international real-estate portfolio at the age of 25 already.

Despite being the godson of King Charles III and a godfather to Prince George, the duke has managed to stay out of the spotlight, leading a relatively under-the-radar existence for much of his 32 years of life.

At 25, Hugh Grosvenor just became a billionaire and English Duke: https://t.co/48oKBTDSdT pic.twitter.com/YtDD9N8gcL

— W Magazine (@wmag) August 10, 2016

We’re all looking now, though, since he’s been crowned as the richest person under 35 in the UK, according to the Times of London. Grosvenor is also the 11th richest person in the UK, according to The Times of London’s 2023 Rich List, which was released in May.

Per Insider, Hugh inherited his wealth from his father Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died suddenly in 2016.

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the 6th Duke and a close friend of the Queen and then-Prince Charles, was 64 when he died of a heart attack on August 9, 2016. At the time, he was the 114th wealthiest person in the world, with a fortune of around £9 billion, according to Forbes.

As it goes with members of the British royal family, Hugh did not have to pay inheritance tax:

The family can trace its lineage back almost 1,000 years. Much of the family’s fortune comes from a 17th-century dowry given to a Sir Thomas Grosvenor, which included 500 acres of land just outside of London, Bloomberg reported.

Hugh has two older sisters but he was able to get his hands on the inherited title of duke and the family estates thanks to an 11th-century tradition that names the first-born son as heir.

#NEW Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster has sent a message of congratulations to Queen Elizabeth for her #PlatinumJubilee

He is a friend of Prince William and one of Prince George’s godparents https://t.co/bd0NubMZkI pic.twitter.com/Ain5CRDMLe

— CoutureAndRoyals (@CoutureRoyals) June 2, 2022

His mother Natalia, a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and King George II, wanted him to grow up as normally as possible:

“His mum, Tally, was keen on the children having a more normal upbringing, so almost consciously didn’t want them to go to all those Eton, Harrow sort of places and risk turning into that arrogant, entitled type of person,” a friend told The Telegraph in April.

His dad had a similar philosophy, stating in an interview with the Independent in 1992:

“He’s a lucky boy to be given all the material things in life, but he’ll need to be robust mentally to survive. There are many pitfalls when one inherits such an enormous amount of money, especially in adolescence.

“He’s been born with the longest silver spoon anyone can have, but he can’t go through life sucking on it. He has to put back what he has been given.”

Hugh attended Newcastle University, graduating with a degree in countryside management, and mostly kept a low profile until his 21st birthday, which reportedly cost $6,3 million to throw, with the likes of Prince Harry attending.

Happy Birthday Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster – Tory party-boy and 3rd richest man in the UK.
In 2017 he inherited £8,3B – without paying any tax.
Imagine £3B+ going to help poor/ sick Brits.#HughGrosvenor #Billionaire #TaxCheat pic.twitter.com/UCFDrUFeJi

— El Christo (@ElRaynerista) January 29, 2020

Besides his dad’s billions in family trusts, he also lives lavishly on estates in the wealthy London neighbourhoods of Belgravia and Mayfair, as well as the ancestral home in Cheshire, Eaton Hall.

Eaton Estate in the Cheshire countryside has been home to the Grosvenor family since the 1400s. It includes hundreds of residential, commercial, and agricultural properties, which can be rented.

He mostly spends his days overseeing his family’s estate and charitable work, competing in skeet-shooting competitions (where participants shoot clay targets that move through the air), and planning his upcoming wedding. Grosvenor recently proposed to his girlfriend of two years, Olivia Henson:

Overseeing the family’s real-estate portfolio as the chair of the Grosvenor Group is no joke, with properties in 43 cities across 10 countries, according to the Times.

He also oversees the family investment office, which manages rural estates across the UK and abroad, and employs 450 people. The Grosvenor Group also invests in other industries, such as food and agricultural technology.

His work doesn’t end there. He is also the chair of the family’s charitable foundation, which focuses on vulnerable children. He also made headlines for donating more than $15,6 million to charities to help the United Kingdom fight COVID-19.

[source:insider]