Baby joy for Duke and Duchess of Westminster as couple announce birth of first child year on from society wedding of the year that starred Prince William as an usher

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

The Duke and Duchess of Westminster have joyfully announced the birth of their first child.
Billionaire aristocrat Hugh Grosvenor and his wife Olivia confirmed they had welcomed a baby girl, a year after they got married in what was the society wedding of the year, starring Prince William as an usher.
The happy couple also revealed their daughter had been named Cosima Florence Grosvenor.
A spokesperson for the pair said: 'The Duke and Duchess of Westminster are thrilled to announce the birth of their baby daughter.
'Both the duchess and Cosima are doing well.
'The duke and duchess now look forward to spending this special time together as a family.'
The duke is a close friend of princes William and Harry and is godfather to Prince George as well as reportedly Prince Archie.
The Duke of Sussex agreed with Hugh, who is one of the UK's biggest landowners, that he would not attend his wedding last June amid a long-running feud with his brother.
Once considered one of the country's most eligible bachelors, Hugh became an instant billionaire when he inherited his title and control of the historic Grosvenor Estate aged just 25, after his father died from a heart attack in 2016.
His property company, Grosvenor Group, owns hundreds of acres of land in Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as major city centre developments such as Liverpool's One shopping centre.
The duke donated £12.5 million to the UK's Covid relief effort in 2020, including funds for NHS Charities Together and for medical research and development.
In April, the Duke and Duchess of Westminster joined Prince William and Prince George to cheer on Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League against Paris St Germain.
It was their first public appearance after announcing they were expecting a baby.
Hugh and Olivia showed their support, each wearing matching burgundy scarfs with Aston Villa emblazoned in white across the length of the neckwear.
Earlier this year, a spokesman for the pair said: 'The Duchess is expecting a baby in the summer. The couple are delighted with the news and are very much looking forward to starting a family together.'
The pair announced their engagement in April 2023, after being together for two years.
They decided to marry at Chester Cathedral, before inviting around 400 guests including Princess Eugenie and TV producer Phil Redmond, to go to a lavish reception at the Grosvenor family seat, Eaton Hall, just outside Chester.
The Duke paid for free ice cream, gelato and sorbet for Cheshire locals from three local independent cafes so they could join in the celebration.
And a staggering 100,000 flowers - all paid for by the Duke - were planted throughout the city and donated to charity following the ceremony.
No expense was spared as Olivia arrived at the Cathedral in a vintage 1930 8-litre Bentley owned by the Grosvenor estate.
The bride's veil was designed by Emma Victoria Payne and featuring an embroidery design which incorporated floral motifs from her great-great-grandmother's veil from around 1880.
Her dress was made by the same designer and she accessorised with blue shoes and the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara made for Grosvenor brides to wear on their wedding day, which has been in the family since 1906.