Royalty and VIPs joined thousands of well-wishers in Cheshire today for the "society of the wedding of the year" as the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, weds Olivia Henson.
The wedding, which took place at Chester Cathedral, started at 12pm on Friday (June 7). There has already been a huge build up over the past week in the historic city.
The Duke, 33, is one of Britain's richest men, owning huge swathes of Cheshire, Lancashire and Mayfair in London with an estimated wealth of £10bn. His fiancée Olivia, 30, a senior account manager at Belazu, will become the Duchess of Westminster later today.
After the wedding ceremony inside Chester Cathedral, the wedding party will proceed on to the ancestral home of the Duke at Eaton Hall in the nearby village of Eccleston.
Guests at the society wedding include royal friends, with Prince William the most high profile. The Prince served as an usher at proceedings. The Duke is godfather to his son Prince George.
There have been huge crowds of well-wishers lining the historic streets of Chester today to get a glimpse of the happy couple and the wedding party. As a result, there will also be a number of road closures in place.
We will be live in the city with updates and pictures from the event across Friday. You can follow our blog for all the latest below.
Key Events
Three cheers for the bride and groom!
Here's our report from today's events in Chester, including the thousands packing the streets, the VIP guests, and the queues for the free ice creams. Read more here
A clear evening after a gusty start
It was fairly gusty in Chester around lunchtime today - as you can see from these shots of the Duchess's train in the wind! It's turned into a beautiful evening in Cheshire though, with clear blue skies now for the wedding party.
Where is the wedding party?
Now the wedding ceremony is over at Chester Cathedral, the party continues at the Duke and Duchess of Westminster's Cheshire estate at Eaton Hall. It's just down the road from Chester in the village of Eccleston.
Guests were seen heading onto coaches outside the cathedral to proceed on to the party.
The fabulous wedding fashions
Some stunning outfits from wedding guests attending today, you can see a full gallery here
More photos of guests
More photos have been shared of guests attending the wedding which brought Chester to a standstill earlier. Barriers were put in place to allow guests easy access to and from the wedding while well-wishers looked on
Why was Dan Snow at the wedding?
If you're wondering why historian and TV presenter Dan Snow was a key figure at today's wedding, it's because he's married to Lady Edwina Grosvenor, sister of Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor. The 45-year-old, whose father is radio and TV presenter Peter Snow, has three children with his wife. Fame in the family doesn't stop there, as his father's cousin is also Channel 4 reporter Jon Snow.
More protest images
Further images have been shared of the protest that took place outside the cathedral, which campaign group Just Stop Oil says two of its supporters were responsible for. There were audible boos among some members of the public after fire extinguishers were used to project orange paint.
Barbara Williams, 81, from Cheshire, who was standing next to the protesters in the crowd, told the PA news agency: “I feel a bit shaken after it.
“We were standing next to them all day.” Her friend Andrea Machin, 56, added: “They were already here when we arrived at 7am, they had shopping trolleys with them.
“Everyone was watching the bride and groom and then we just saw orange and they had what looked like a fire extinguisher with them. The police realised quite quickly what was happening and pulled them out. One of them said it was for her grandchildren."
Father of the bride
Another of the black and white photographs shows the bride with her father Rupert Henson arm in arm as they prepare to walk into Chester Cathedral
Stunning photographs
Stunning black and white photographs have been shared of the newlyweds. The striking images show every detail of the bride's dress and veil, designed by Emma Victoria Payne. It featured an embroidery design which incorporated floral motifs and edgings from Ms Henson’s great-great-grandmother’s veil from around 1880.
She also wore the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara made for Grosvenor brides to wear on their wedding day, which has been in the family since 1906.
Police confirm arrests
Cheshire Police have confirmed that two people have been arrested following a protest outside the wedding.
A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: “Shortly after 1pm on Friday a coloured flare was released by two women, believed to be protesting on behalf of Just Stop Oil, on St Werberg Street, Chester.
“Officers were immediately on the scene and two women were quickly arrested on suspicion of public order offences. The 69-year-old woman from Manchester and 73-year-old woman from Suffolk are both in police custody at this time.”
Bridemaids
The groom's three nieces were the bridemaids at today's service. They all wore matching white dresses with button detail and navy bows on the back
Beautiful bouquet
The choice of bouquet is important for any bride. Olivia's was made of flowers from the gardens of Eaton Hall, the Duke of Westminster's family home. The bouquet featured meadow grass, Oxeye daisies, Iris, Rose, Clematis, Mock Orange, Scabious, Sweet Pea, Astrantia, Martagon Lily and Love-in-a-Mist.
Another Stop Oil protester defends action
Another protestor from the Just Stop Oil campaign has spoken about today's protest outside Chester Cathedral. The campaign group confirmed earlier that two of its supporters had used fire extinguishers to project powder paint near the entrance to Chester Cathedral as the newlyweds made their way to a Bentley car.
A second protester Sheila, 69, from Bristol, who worked as an NHS nurse for 50 years, was quoted as saying: “What do we value most? The wealth of billionaires like the Duke of Westminster or the lives of the billions who are being destroyed by the fossil fuel industry?
“Extreme wealth and the climate crisis are both symptoms of a broken system that is not serving most ordinary people.”
No Harry
Only one of the royal brothers attended today's wedding. Amid continued tensions between Harry and William, the Duke of Sussex reportedly turned down his invitation to the celebration. Prince William looked calm and relaxed as he chatted to fellow guests following the ceremony
Royal spotters
Fans of the royals have been out in force to see who they can spot among the guests. As well as Prince William, well-wishers have been delighted to see Princess Eugenie, who was all smiles in an olive green dress
Free ice creams continue to go down well
Three ice cream parlours in Chester have been handing out free treats to celebrate the wedding - and they're continuing to go down a storm.
The couple have subsidised the free treats from three established city centre ice cream shops - Cheshire Farm Ice Cream at Chester Market, Diddy Donuts underneath the Eastgate Clock and Krum Gelato on Watergate Street.
Craig Fermor, owner of Diddy Donuts, said: "It’s a lovely touch from the couple and will put a lot of smiles on faces. We wish The Duke of Westminster and Miss Olivia Henson all the best for the big day and hope they enjoy many happy years together."
Stunning Duke of Westminster wedding photos as Prince William among VIP guestlist
Prince William was among the guests today as royalty and members of the public congregate in Chester for the 'society of the wedding of the year'.
Well-wishers lined the streets of the city to welcome guests at the wedding of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, and Olivia Henson.
The couple tied the knot at Chester Cathedral, with guests in attendance including Prince William, a friend of the groom, who is also the godfather to his son Prince George. Princess Eugenie is another royal in attendance at the ceremony.
Campaign stunt organised by Just Stop Oil
Campaign group Just Stop Oil have said that two of their supporters were behind a powder paint stunt outside Chester Cathedral.
As the newly-wed's made their way out of the venue, fire extinguishers projecting powder paint were set off amongst the crowd of well-wishers.
In a statement, the organisation quoted protester Polly, 73, a care worker from Norfolk, who said: “Weddings are a time of coming together in celebration to make a commitment to the future.
“However, for countless millions around the world there is no future unless we come together to stop oil and gas.”
This is the moment someone in the crowd thought it was a good idea to release a pink smoke bomb - they were then removed by police. Video courtesy of onlooker Lynn Preston. pic.twitter.com/flxD1WcX5K
— Dianne Bourne (@diannebourne) June 7, 2024
More guests leave the Cathedral
More guests, including Princess Eugenie, have been seen leaving the Cathedral following the wedding.
The mother of the groom, Natalia Grosvenor, was also pictured looking proudly on as her son and his wife Olivia Henson waved to the crowds of well-wishers and posed for photos outside the venue.
So, what happens next then?
Now that the wedding ceremony has finished at Chester Cathedral, the party will move on to Eaton Hall, which is the ancestral family home of the Duke of Westminster. It's also where the flowers featured in Olivia's bouqet were picked from.
Located a couple of miles away from Chester city centre, in the village of Eccleston, the Duke's ancestors have lived here since the 1400s and the estate includes Eaton Chapel.
Prince William seen leaving Cathedral
Following the newly-married couple was Prince William, who served as an usher at the ceremony.
He was seen watching the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson as they made their way out of Chester Cathedral, and joined along the rest of the wedding procession out of the venue.
Here's the newly weds
The couple have appeared outside Chester Cathedral to huge applauses from the crowds.
As crowds cheered and shouted 'hip, hip, horray', the couple kissed and were full of smiles as they made their way to a nearby vehicle to drive them away.
A bit of wind threatened to overshadow the moment earlier
Crowds of well-wishers audibly gasped when ride Olivia Henson's veil blew in the wind as she made her way to Chester Cathedral for her wedding to the Duke of Westminster.
As you can see from the photos, there was a bit of a struggle to get her dress and veil - designed by Emma Victoria Payne - under control.
We're live from Chester
Dianne has just gone live in Chester as she soaks up what the atmosphere is like as wedding fever hits the county - and as guests leave the ceremony.
The ceremony between the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson is currently taking place at Chester Cathedral, and thousands of people are estimated to have flocked to the area for a glimpse at the guests and to enjoy the celebrations.
Click here to watch Dianne's FB Live, or watch from the embed below.
The crowds are enjoying the celebrations
Thousands of people are expected to have lined the streets throughout Chester, and near to the Cathedral, to help the newlyweds celebrate their wedding today.
The ceremony got underway shortly after 12pm, with the wedding party set to take place at the Duke's sprawling Eaton Hall, which is valued at over £10billion. The couple have previously announced that once married they plan to set up home at the countryside retreat.
Photos of guests arriving
Here are some more photos from some of the guests, including Princess Eugenie, who have arrived to the wedding at Chester Cathedral today.
The ceremony is now taking place, with around 400 guests invited to attend. Prince William is also in attendance, and is expected to serve as an usher during proceedings.
More details about Olivia's wedding gown
More details have been shared about Olivia's stunning wedding dress, which was designed by Emma Victoria Payne.
Constructed in ivory silk crepe satin, ivory silk organza with bespoke embroidered detailing, the gown features a scalloped edge neckline with a delicate bespoke hand appliquéd embroidery consisting of floral and leafy motifs.
It is topped off with a diamond Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, which has been in the Grosvenor family since 1906, and a opulent floral embroidery paying homage to her great-great-grandmother's wedding veil which dates back to the 1880s.
The outfit is completed with a bouquet of flowers, featuring meadow grass, Ox eye daisies, Iris, Rose, Clematis, Mock orange, Scabious, Sweet pea, Astrantia, Martagon lily and Love in a mist, which were all picked from Eaton Hall, where the wedding party will take place later today.
The wedding party
Once the wedding ceremony is over at Chester Cathedral, the party will move on to the ancestral family home of the Duke of Westminster, Eaton Hall, which is just a couple of miles away from Chester city centre in the village of Eccleston.
The Duke's ancestors have lived there since the 1400s and the estate includes Eaton Chapel, with a tower likened to Big Ben.
