Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Dowager Duchess of Westminster (née Phillips; born 8 May 1959), is a British aristocrat, philanthropist and winemaker. She is the widow of the 6th Duke of Westminster and mother of the 7th Duke. As of 2024, the Duchess's family, specifically her son, were 11th on the Sunday Times Rich List with a net worth of £10.127 billion.[1]
The Dowager Duchess of Westminster | |
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| Born | Natalia Ayesha Phillips 8 May 1959 |
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Early life
editBorn Natalia Ayesha Phillips, she is the youngest daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Harold "Bunnie" Phillips and Georgina "Gina" Wernher.[2] Her paternal grandparents were Colonel Joseph Phillips and Mary Bryce, daughter of John Pablo Bryce. Her maternal grandparents were Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Bt, and Countess Anastasia de Torby, morganatic daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia. Tally, as she is known to friends and family, had an older brother, Nicholas (1947–1991), and three older sisters, including Marita Knight and the late Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn.[3] She and her siblings are direct descendants of poet Alexander Pushkin and Afro-Russian engineer Abram Gannibal.[4]
Activities
editThe Duchess supports many charitable endeavours in Cheshire and across the United Kingdom, these include the Alex Moulton Charitable Trust and the Hospice of the Good Shepherd.[5][6][7]
The Duchess is godmother of William, Prince of Wales; in turn, Diana, Princess of Wales, was godmother of her daughter, Lady Edwina, and her son, Hugh, the current Duke of Westminster, is the godson of Charles III and godfather to Prince George of Wales and Prince Archie of Sussex.[8][9]
The Duchess owns a vineyard in Portofino called "La Cappelletta" where she produces Vermentino della Cappelletta, a Ligurian Vermentino.[10][11][12]
Marriage and issue
editNatalia met Gerald Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor, at a ball at Blenheim Palace in 1977.[citation needed] When Natalia's maternal grandmother heard she was being courted by the heir to the dukedom of Westminster, she told her "Don't let him go. Don't let him go, you must come down and bring him to lunch".[3]
They married the next year at St Mary's Church, Luton, near her family seat, Luton Hoo, on 17 October 1978. Natalia wore a gown designed by Sarah Butler and an antique diamond and spinel tiara which Grosvenor had bought for her that had belonged to Princess Catherine Bagration.[citation needed] Notable guests at the wedding included Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Lord Mountbatten, whose granddaughter, India Hicks, was a bridesmaid. Upon marriage, Natalia was styled as Countess Grosvenor.
Four months later, Grosvenor's father died and he became the 6th Duke of Westminster, thus making Natalia the Duchess of Westminster. They had four children and six grandchildren:
- Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor (born 20 December 1979), married Edward van Cutsem, son of Hugh van Cutsem, on 6 November 2004 at Chester Cathedral.[13] They have three children:
- Jake Louis Hannibal van Cutsem (born 21 May 2009)
- Louis Hugh Lupus van Cutsem (born 17 April 2012)
- Isla van Cutsem (born December 2015)
- Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (born November 1981), married Daniel Snow on 27 November 2010.[14] They have three children:
- Zia Snow (born 13 October 2011)
- Wolf Robert Snow (born 9 September 2014)
- Orla Snow (born December 2015)
- Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster (born 29 January 1991), married Olivia Henson on 7 June 2024.[15]
- Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor (born 12 October 1992) married Angus Roberts, of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, in 2022.[16]
Ancestry
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References
edit- ^ Watts, Robert (19 May 2024). "The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family net worth — Sunday Times Rich List 2024". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ a b Dewar, Peter Beauclerk (2001). Burke' Landed Gentry of Great Britain: Together with Members of the Titled and non-Titled Contemporary Establishment (19 ed.). Burke's Peerage. ISBN 978-0-9711966-0-5.
- ^ a b Trevelyan, Raleigh (1991). Grand Dukes and Diamonds: The Wernhers of Luton Hoo. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780436534041.
- ^ "Descendant of Pushkin and the Romanovs Becomes The World's Youngest Billionaire". rbth.com. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "Our Patrons". Alex Moulton Charitable Trust. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ Jones, Leah (30 June 2017). "Duchess of Westminster officially opens Hospice of the Good Shepherd's new extension". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ de Lucia, Carmen (11 April 2019). "It's exactly 30 years since Chester's Hospice of the Good Shepherd first opened". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Holmes, David (23 October 2013). "Earl is godfather to baby Prince George". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ Nikkhah, Roya (2 December 2023). "Harry and Meghan excluded from Duke of Westminster's wedding". The Times. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Pitorri, Grazia (27 March 2017). "La duchessa di Westminster diventa contadina (a Portofino)". Elle (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Bush, Bettina (14 March 2017). "A Portofino il vino della duchessa di Westminster". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "A Portofino il vino della Duchessa di Westminster". ANSA (in Italian). 14 March 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Royals attend top society wedding". BBC News. 6 November 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Flintshire". Flintshirechronicle.co.uk. 1 January 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ Jahangir, Rumeana; Long, Chris (7 June 2024). "Crowds hope to see William at Duke of Westminster's wedding". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Bridger-Linning, Stephanie (28 April 2023). "Key Coronation duty for the Duke of Westminster – Prince George's newly-engaged billionaire godfather". Tatler. Retrieved 28 June 2023.