The Duke of Westminster | |
|---|---|
 Photographed by Allan Warren in 1997 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office 19 February 1979 – 11 November 1999 as a hereditary peer | |
| Preceded by | The 5th Duke of Westminster |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor 22 December 1951 Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom[1] |
| Died | 9 August 2016 (aged 64) Preston, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Parents | |
| Residence | Eaton Hall, Cheshire |
| Known for |
|
| Civilian awards | |
| Other titles | Earl Grosvenor (1967–1979) |
| Website | www.grosvenorestate.com |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1973–2012 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | North Irish Horse |
| Commands | |
| Military awards | |
Major General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, KG, CB, CVO, OBE, TD, VR, CD, DL (22 December 1951 – 9 August 2016) was a British landowner, businessman, aristocrat, Territorial Army general, and peer. He was the son of Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and Viola Lyttelton. He was Chairman of the property company Grosvenor Group. In the first-ever edition of The Sunday Times Rich List, published in 1989, he was ranked as the second richest person in the United Kingdom,[2] with a fortune of £3.2 billion (approximately £10.1 billion in today's value[3]), with only Queen Elizabeth II above him.
Born in Northern Ireland, Grosvenor moved from an island in the middle of Lower Lough Erne to be educated at Sunningdale and Harrow boarding schools in the south of England. After a troubled education, he left school with two O-levels. He entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and served in the Territorial Army, where he was promoted to major-general in 2004.
Via Grosvenor Estates, the business he inherited along with the dukedom in 1979, the Duke was the richest property developer in the United Kingdom and one of the country's largest landowners, with property in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton and Cheshire, including the family's country seat of Eaton Hall, as well as 300 acres (120 ha) of Mayfair and Belgravia in Central London.[4] The business also has interests in other parts of Europe. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2016, the Duke was worth £9.35 billion, placing him sixth on the list and making him the third-richest British citizen.
The Duke died on 9 August 2016 after suffering a heart attack. The titles then passed to his only son, Hugh.
- ^ "Billionaire landowner and close friend of Prince Charles the Duke of Westminster dies aged 64 after sudden illness". The Telegraph. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Rich List: Changing face of wealth". BBC News. 18 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Grosvenor announces senior management appointments". Grosvenor. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.