Duke of Westminster has died !

BREAKING NEWS: The Duke of Westminster who was worth £9billion dies aged 64

Gerald Grosvenor, the 6th Duke, was the third richest Briton - worth £9bn

He has suddenly died aged 64 at the Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire

It is understood the father-of-four had a heart attack at his shooting estate

The Duke of Westminster - the third richest Briton - has died suddenly at the age of 64.

It is understood the father-of-four, worth an estimated £9 billion, had a heart attack at Abbeystead House in Lancashire, his grouse shooting estate.

Gerald Grosvenor, the 6th Duke, is the richest property developer in the UK, whose vast wealth comes from estates in Oxford, Cheshire, and Scotland as well as huge swathes of Mayfair and Belgravia.

His tragic death means that his son Hugh will now inherit the entire estate, including the family seat in Cheshire, Eaton Hall, at the age of just 25.

After leaving Harrow with two O-levels,[4] then Earl Grosvenor, he joined the Territorial Army in 1970 as a trooper.

After entering RMA Sandhurst in 1973, he passed out as an Officer Cadet and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve of the Royal Armoured Corps (Queen's Own Yeomanry) on 13 May 1973.[5][6] He was promoted to Lieutenant on 13 May 1975 and to Captain on 1 July 1980.[7][8] He was subsequently promoted to the acting rank of Major on 1 January 1985 and to the substantive rank on 22 December.[9]

Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 1 April 1992, he subsequently commanded the North Irish Horse, the Cheshire Yeomanry Squadron, founded by his ancestors, and the Queen's Own Yeomanry.[10] He was promoted to colonel on 31 December 1994 and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 7th Regt. Army Air Corps (1 January 1996) and the Northumbrian Universities Officer Training Corps (30 November 1995).[11][12][13] Promoted to Brigadier on 17 January 2000, he was also appointed Honorary Colonel of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry on 14 May 2001.[14][15] He was also appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Canadian Royal Westminster Regiment, the North Irish Horse and as Colonel Commandant Yeomanry.

The Duke was Grand Prior of the Priory of England of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, 1995–2001.[16]

In 2004 the Duke was appointed to the new post of Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets), with promotion in the rank of Major-General.

In March 2007, having served in the Ministry of Defence as Assistant CDS for four years, he handed over responsibility for 50,000 Reservists and 138,000 Cadets to Major-General Simon Lalor, in the wake of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal in which Grosvenor was also implicated.[17] The Duke became Deputy Commander Land Forces (Reserves) in May 2011.[18] He retired in 2012.

He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for his "military service" in the 2008 Birthday Honours. He is also an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), and a member of the International Advisory Board of the RUSI.

He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for "service as a member of the Council of the Duchy of Cornwall".[19]

Personal life[edit]

The Duke behind his desk in 1988
As a child the Duke lived on an island in the middle of Lough Erne. His early education was in Northern Ireland before attending Sunningdale School and Harrow School.

The Duke of Westminster married Natalia Ayesha Phillips, the daughter of Lt-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips and his wife Georgina Wernher, in 1978. His wife is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander S. Pushkin and therefore of his African ancestor Abram Gannibal as well as of King George II. Their children are:

Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor (b. 20 December 1979), married Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem (6 November 2004), with two sons, Jake Louis Hannibal van Cutsem (b. 2009) and Louis Hugh Lupus van Cutsem (b. 17 April 2012);[20]
Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (b. 4 November 1981), a goddaughter of Princess Diana,[21] married Daniel Robert Snow (27 November 2010). The couple have a daughter, Zia (born 2011) and a son, Wolf Robert (born 2014).
Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster (b. 29 January 1991), who is one of Prince George of Cambridge's seven godparents;[22]
Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor (b. 12 October 1992).

25 and worth 9 billion

Sad news. He seemed like a decent guy despite his vast wealth. He obviously didn't like racing like most toffs and all his descendants. Perhaps the famous Westminster colours, carried by many turf legends including Triple Crown winner Ormonde and of course the legendary Arkle, will be reappearing on the racecourse soon. RIP.

Despite his incredible wealth, multi-billionaire Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor haggled with one of the Emperors Club girls for the cost of their date, according to the report.

Prostitute Zana Brazdek, then 26, described the 56-year-old Grosvenor as dull and demanding.

Bad year for the famous.

trousers at half mast in mayfair

bendor one step nearer the dukedom diva

Hope he had adequate funeral protection....its not fair to leave your family with a big bill you know, when you go.....and don't forget the free pen.

Mightymac - you mention famous Westminster colours, but they were uniquely the Dutchess's - Yellow with narrow Black belt and cap with Gold tassel - and were a variant on the Duke's colours which are plain Yellow, Black velvet cap with Yellow rosette.

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

eric

Don't make me laugh....his estate will have been put into trust years ago. Anyone should be able to avoid IT with a bit of professional help and advice.

Thanks blackbarn, I didn`t know that. So do you know when the Ormonde colours were last seen on a racecourse?

Did he leave me something? I need a box o cash.