Duke of Westminster’s wedding: which tiara will bride Olivia Henson wear

A royal wedding Not royal. The wait for the wedding is frantic Duke of Westminster which will be celebrated on Friday 7 June in Chester Cathedral in the presence of all the most important aristocratic families of the country. Among the 400 guests there is also the Prince William to whom a role of great responsibility is reserved, that of ushera sort of master of ceremonies of the day of celebration.
Although neither will be present Princess Catherinestill recovering, nor the Duchess Meghangiven that the Sussexes kindly declined the invitation so as not to cause confusion, the appointment will have all the trappings of a royal wedding with a parade of guests in colorful dresses and hats next to men in morning suits.

The protagonist of the social event of the year will undoubtedly be the bride. Olivia Hensonan aristocrat born in London in 1992, belonging on her mother’s side to the Hoare family, bankers, in whose body the blood of the Marquess of Bristol and the Duke of Rutland flows, is known for having a low profile despite her engagement to the richest person under 40 in the UK.
According to the ranking recently published by Sunday Times the net worth of over £10 billion generated by the family business position Hugh Grosvenor known as “Hughie” in 14th place in the overall ranking for 2024 (King Charles is in 258th place, so to speak).

See more

Lady Diana Spencer’s mother got married today, 70 years ago: all about her dream dress with crystal embroidery and her diamond tiara

The wedding between Frances Roche and John Spencer, Diana’s mother and father, was considered the social event of the year. The bride wore a put precious and regal at the same time. In her hair stood a tiara belonging to her family, the Fermoy aristocrats

Given the context, what was striking at the time was the photo released to announce the wedding in which he was wearing an unbuttoned linen shirt with rolled up sleeves (but perfectly ironed) while she was wearing a ribbed shirt, a pair of trousers with an elasticated waist and artfully disheveled hair.

The official portrait with which the future spouses Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson announced their wedding a year ago.

Grosvenor2023

It is difficult to imagine who has placed marked emphasis onunderstatement with a precious tiara on her head. Yet the Grosvenor family has some goodies in the safe tiaraseach accompanied by a family story, and the future Duchess of Westminster he could decide to show off one to enter the prestigious dynasty in a glittering way. Unless you want to surprise us with a crown of flowers or (never!) any jewels in your hair.

Obviously, everything should be combined with the wedding dress, on which it is not possible to make predictions at the moment. In a recent outing in Chester representing the Westminster Foundation, Olivia Henson, in which many wanted to see a new Kate Middleton, dressed in a jacket &Other Stories and floral trousers Sandroshe doesn’t seem like someone who appreciates the genre dress to impress.

If Kate really were the lighthouse he looks to, the duchess-to-be could commission the put as a bride to some brand made famous by the princess, such as Emilia Wickstead, Jenny Packham or Phillipa Lepley, the most loved by aristocrats. Since there are no rumors about this, let’s try to bet on the tiara, reviewing what the Grosvenors own.

The tiara with myrtle leaves

Given the simplicity that she likes so much, she would undoubtedly give Olivia Henson the tiara with myrtle leaves. There Myrtle Wreath Tiaraone of the best-known pieces in the Grosvenor collection, dates back to 1906. It was created by Albert Holmström, the maison’s master goldsmith Fabergé of St. Petersburg, thinking of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
The sacred plant for the divinity is still considered a symbol of purity today and a crown of myrtle, vegetal or diamonds is auspicious for a bride. She was the first to wear this tiara Lady Mabel Florence Crichton for her wedding, which took place at the beginning of the 20th century, with Hugh Grosvenor, son of the first Duke of Westminster.

Lady Tamara Grosvenor wearing the myrtle leaf tiara and her groom, Edward Van Cutsem.

Getty Images

The tiara was passed from duke to duke until it arrived at Hughie. In the past it has often been shown off at weddings. The best known one that is still remembered today is the one that was celebrated in Chester Cathedral in 2004 Lady Tamara Grosvenorsister of Hugh, and Edward Van Cutsem.

The Bagration Tiara

However, a handover between the old and new Duchess of Westminster cannot be ruled out. Gerald Grosvenorprevious holder of the title who passed away in 2016, therefore father of the groom, got married in 1978 with Natalia Phillips. Having distant Russian origins (among her ancestors the name of the poet stands out Alexander Pushkin), the nobleman thought it best to give his future wife a set that had previously belonged to the Russian princess Catherine Bagration.

Gerald Grosvenor and Natalia Phillips on their wedding day in 1978: the bride sports the Bagration tiara.

Wesley/Getty Images

There Bagration Tiara composed of diamonds and pink spinels, attributed to jewelers Fossin & Fils (afterwards Maison Chaumet) should date back to 1810. Excluding the presence in 2002 at an exhibition dedicated to the tiaras of 2002 at Victoria and Albert Museum and the 2022 display, coinciding with the Queen’s Jubilee, in the Sotheby’s exhibition Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras (the site expert The Royal Watcher says that it was one of the two tiaras that it was not possible to photograph among the forty locked up in the various cases), the tiara has not been seen in public since Gerald and Natalia’s wedding. Olivia Henson’s head would certainly cause a great stir even among royal jewelry enthusiasts.

Harewood Fringe Tiara

There is another tiara in the Westminster collection worthy of interest. It’s about the Harewood Fringe Tiaraan ancient heirloom purchased at auction at Christie’s in 1966 by an anonymous buyer and subsequently ended up in the treasure chest of Gerald Grosvenor. What makes the piece special is its provenance: it would in fact come from the treasure chest of Princess Maryonly daughter of king George V and of Queen Mary.
In 1922, for the wedding with Henry LascellesEarl of Harewood, la princess royal received as a gift from Lord Inchcape, a rich businessman with good offices with King George V, a fringed tiara dated 1890, a model very popular at that time as also demonstrated by Queen Elizabeth who married with a similar tiara in 1947.

There princess royal (top centre) with the Harewood Fringe Tiara at the theater in 1963 for the Greek Royals’ state visit to London.

PA Images/Getty Images

The Harewood Fringe Tiara, precious but not excessive, with an essential design and decidedly less showy than the others, is known for having been among the favorites of the Princess Mary so much so that his character in the film Downton Abbey of 2019 wears this very tiara. A detail that did not escape the jewelry experts who began to examine the jewels mentioned in the film.

See more

Royal drag race: who has the longest?

If there is a detail that the vast majority of royal brides do not give up, it is that element in the back of the dress, a symbol of royalty par excellence: the train. Meter in hand, we have measured dozens of them in almost a century royal wedding: which one has the most kilometres?

The tiara would therefore succeed in the feat of being royal and pop at the same time, two characteristics capable of driving fans of real affairs crazy. It would also be a fun combination for Olivia Henson, a (seemingly) simple girl who knows well what her role in society will be. Despite the trousers with the elastic waist.