Meet the UK's Richest Millennial, the Duke of Westminster, Who's Worth More Than $12 Billion

You might never have heard of Hugh Grosvenor, nor seen his photo.

But at just 25, Grosvenor inherited the title of the Duke of Westminster and an extensive, international real-estate portfolio. Now 32, he is the richest person under 35 in the UK, worth £9.878 billion, or approximately $12.5 billion, The Times of London reported in May.

Despite his extraordinary wealth and royal connections — he's the godson of King Charles III and a godfather to Prince George — the duke enjoys a relatively under-the-radar existence, overseeing his family's estate and charitable work, competing in skeet-shooting competitions, and planning his upcoming wedding.

Here's a closer look at Britain's richest millennial.

The 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, was recently named the UK's richest person under 35 by The Times of London. He is worth £9.878 billion.

Grosvenor is the 11th richest person in the UK, according to the Times' 2023 Rich List, which was released in May. It also named him the country's richest person under 35.

In 2022, he was ranked 12th on the Times' Rich List. In the year since, his wealth has increased to £9.878 billion from £9.726 billion, according to the Times.

He was just 25 when he inherited his wealth and title from his father, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died suddenly in 2016.

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the 6th Duke and a close friend of the Queen and then-Prince Charles, was 64 when he died of a heart attack on August 9, 2016. At the time, he was the 114th wealthiest person in the world, with a fortune of around £9 billion, according to Forbes.

Hugh Grosvenor inherited his father's billions, as well as his estates in the wealthy London neighborhoods of Belgravia and Mayfair, and the ancestral home in Cheshire, Eaton Hall. As much of the wealth was passed down through family trusts, he did not have to pay billions in inheritance taxes, The Guardian reported.

The Grosvenor family's website says, "As Grosvenor family members, who are the beneficiaries of the trusts, are all UK residents – as their predecessors have been for nearly 1,000 years – they pay UK taxes in the same way as the rest of the UK population, while being entitled to the same exemptions."

Their title goes back to 1874. The 1st Duke of Westminster, Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, was friends with Queen Victoria.

The family can trace its lineage back almost 1,000 years. Much of the family's fortune comes from a 17th-century dowry given to a Sir Thomas Grosvenor, which included 500 acres of land just outside of London, Bloomberg reported.

The 1st Duke of Westminster was born at Eaton Hall — which remains the family seat — and served as a member of parliament before joining the House of Lords. His wife was a friend of Queen Victoria's, according to Westminster Abbey, and Prime Minister William Gladstone honored him with the title in 1874.

The duke's oldest son preceded him in death, and the title passed to his grandson, Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor. Throughout history, the title has passed on to male heirs, including cousins, brothers, and in the case of Hugh Grosvenor, father to son.

Grosvenor was born on January 29, 1991, to Gerald Grosvenor and his

wife, Natalia. He was known as Earl Grosvenor.

Grosvenor's mother, Natalia, is a direct descendant of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and King George II, the London Evening Standard reported.

Although he has two older sisters, Grosvenor inherited the title of duke and the family estates thanks to an 11th-century tradition that names the first-born son as heir.