(Not) the royal wedding of the year
With William on usher duties and Eugenie a guest, Chester Cathedral was the place to be as (billionaire) Duke of Westminster married Olivia Henson
It was dubbed a “real-life Bridgerton” and certainly, there were fabulous frocks, dukes, duchesses and a dollop of scandal, at the society wedding of the year. The Duke of Westminster, formerly the “world’s most eligible bachelor”, tied the knot at Chester Cathedral, on Friday, with Olivia Henson.
It was the most royal-non-royal wedding ever, as the billionaire Hugh Grosvenor, 33, wed Olivia, 31, with his old friends Prince William and Princess Eugenie – who went to school with the bride – in attendance. Catherine, Princess of Wales, had intended to be there, but her ill-health meant she did not make it. The same applied to the King.
Also absent, was Prince Harry – another old-friend of Hugh’s, who is godfather to Princes George and Archie. According to reports, there was an “understanding between the two friends” and Harry decided not to fly over with Meghan, for fear of a media circus, instead letting his brother William do the honours as an usher.
We reckon, like Harry’s missed-meeting with his dad, in London, recently, it was another lost opportunity for a reconciliation. Kerry wrote an opinion piece for The Sunday Telegraph, saying it might have been the moment for the brothers to have it out - after all, what’s a wedding without a drunken row and someone storming off?
Anyway we’re sure it all went winningly at the reception, which was held at the Duke’s family seat, Eaton Hall - a grand 17th century mansion and estate covering 11,000 acres of manicured grounds, akin to Versailles.
Despite the grandeur of the occasion and the fact the groom is one of the richest men in Britain, worth around £10 billion, it all looked markedly laid-back, which is fitting as Hugh is known to be very down-to-earth, despite his wealth.
Among the 400 guests were Thomas von Straubenzee (try saying that after too many proseccos) and wife Lucy - friends of Princes William and Harry – plus the groom’s family, including sister Lady Edwina Grosvenor, married to broadcaster Dan Snow. They all looked very relaxed as they turned up for the church service, with William being shuttled there in a minibus along with the other groomsmen.
Eugenie sported an olive dress by Joseph (on sale for £272) and cream hat by Emily London. Elsewhere, there were lots of boho floral frocks, sandals and hatless heads.
Of course, all eyes were on the bride, in her chic but subtle long-sleeved gown by Emma Victoria Payne and beautiful veil incorporating details from her great-great grandmother’s veil, worn around 1880. She finished it off with blue shoes.
There was a big crowd of well-wishers and the only commotion came when Just Stop Oil protestors let off an orange cannon, to a round of boos. We wonder if they availed themselves of the free ice-cream the couple had organised for them, for the day.
Royals’ emotional time with D-Day veterans
The incredibly moving events marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings saw the royals getting all teary, just like the rest of us. Charles, Camilla and William were seen wiping their eyes on some occasions, as they took part in ceremonies in Portsmouth and Normandy over the course of two days.
“Our gratitude is unfailing and our admiration eternal,” said Charles during an emotive speech. Remembering the sacrifice made by over 150,000 Allied troops on June 6, 1944, he continued: “Our ability to learn from their stories at first hand diminishes. But our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they achieved for us all can never diminish.”
Last week, the Royal List remembered what the family did during WW2, now the present-day members were visibly moved meeting and talking to the diminishing number of heroic veterans. This year only 23 British veterans made it to Normandy, all now nonagenarians and centenarians.
Here's how the royals led the nation by paying their respects to the greatest generation…
King Charles and Queen Camilla were in Portsmouth on Wednesday, along with William, marking the eve of D-Day at the national commemorative event. Portsmouth saw thousands of troops set off for France. On Thursday, the King and Queen were at the British Normandy Memorial. This Royal British Legion service was the first D-Day anniversary at the Memorial, built in 2021 as a tribute to 22,442 servicemen and women who fell during the Battle of Normandy. After meeting veterans, Charles and Camilla had to cut their day short due to his cancer treatment.
Prince William’s first event on D-Day was the Canadian service at the Juno Beach Centre, where he gave a speech. “Standing here today in peaceful silence, it is almost impossible to grasp the courage it would have taken to run into the fury of battle that day,” he said. “Merci pour notre liberté, et merci pour votre service.” Later, he attended the International ceremony, joining President Biden, Macron, Zelenskyy and other leaders and veterans on Omaha Beach.
The Princess Royal unveiled a statue of a Canadian Royal Regina Rifleman, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief, on Wednesday, in Normandy. At Bayeux War Cemetery, she joined veterans at a ceremony before attending a service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral. Anne, who is president of the Commonwealth Graves Commission, later returned to the cemetery to gave a speech at a torchlit vigil.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were in the UK at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, attending the Royal British Legion’s Service of Remembrance.
The Duke of Kent unveiled a statue commemorating the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. On D-Day 500 regiment soldiers parachuted into Normandy but the following day saw 154 killed and wounded in battle. During WW2, the Duke’s father, Prince George, was killed in a plane crash while on military duty in August 1942.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester met veterans at the D-Day 80: Remembering the Normandy Landings concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The star-studded show is on ITV at 4pm today.
Camilla, our festival Queen!
It’s fair to say the Queen’s Reading Room Festival, a one-day literary nirvana, has been on our must-do list since its launch last summer.
For the second year running, thousands were entertained by authors, actors and experts. After arriving and greeting guests, the Camilla watched an excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed by Elizabeth McGovern, and most of the evening events. Miriam Margolyes shared her love of Charles Dickens, and the Operation Mincemeat cast performed highlights from the hit West End show (another thing on our wishlist). Other headliners included authors Sir Ian Rankin, Kate Mosse, Elif Shafak and many more.
If you’re a book lover, just like the Queen, maybe you joined her at Hampton Court Palace this Saturday. If so, we’d love to hear all about your day in the comments at the end of this newsletter.
Minted! Do you have a King Charles banknote?
This week keen collectors queued outside the Bank of England to buy new banknotes, when Wednesday June 5 was the first day banknotes featuring the King went into circulation. By midday, listings of “authentic” King Charles banknotes started appearing on eBay, for double or in some cases triple their value.
You can find Charles on four banknotes - £5, £10, £20, and £50. New notes will only be printed to replace worn ones featuring Queen Elizabeth II, in order to minimise the environmental and financial impact. “We’re very pleased to be issuing the new King Charles banknotes. This is a historic moment, as it’s the first time we’ve changed the sovereign on our notes,” said Andrew Bailey, the Bank’s governor. You can buy a limited amount from the Bank of England, here.
Farewell to Jeannette - Queen Elizabeth’s famous lookalike
There was a sad goodbye this week, as the Queen’s famous stand-in Jeannette Charles, who played the late monarch in movies including National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Naked Gun and Austin Powers, passed away aged 96, in Essex. Her daughter, Carol Christophi, said, “Mum was a real character and a force of nature. She had an amazing life. She was always respectful of the queen and adored the Royal Family.”
First mistaken for the Queen in 1971 on a trip to Capri, she began posing for pictures and appearing on TV, got herself an agent and worked for decades. The only skit she turned down was something with Sacha Baron Cohen which she said was too offensive. As to whether she met the Queen, she wouldn’t say, except to reveal the monarch was a fan, “Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t have been doing this for as long as I have if she wasn’t.”