by thecourtjeweller // Leave a Comment
One of the most sparkling aristocratic weddings of the season was held in Britain on Friday, with the bride wearing a fabulous antique tiara made by none other than Fabergé.
Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, married Olivia Grace Henson in Chester on Friday, June 7. The couple officially announced their engagement in April 2023 after dating for two years. The 33-year-old Duke is chair of Grosvenor Group, the family’s investment company, while his 31-year-old bride works for an ethical food production company.
Hugh inherited his ducal title on the death of his father, Gerald Grosvenor, the 6th Duke of Westminster, in August 2016. Gerald and his wife, Natalia “Tally” Phillips, were and are close friends of King Charles III, and they have extensive connections to the Windsors. Natalia is a royal descendant herself. Her great-grandfather was Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, who was himself a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I. Grand Duke Michael’s controversial morganatic marriage led to his exile from Russia, and he and his wife and children subsequently settled in England. His elder daughter, Anastasia, married Sir Harold Wernher. (They’re Natalia’s grandparents.) His younger daughter, Nadejda, married Prince Philip’s uncle, the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven.
Natalia’s mother, Lady Kennard, was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The enduring friendship between the two families can be traced through their godparent relationships. Natalia is a godmother of the present Prince of Wales. William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was a godmother of Gerald and Natalia’s second daughter, Lady Edwina, while King Charles III is a godfather of their son, Hugh, the present Duke of Westminster. In turn, Hugh is a godfather of both Prince George of Wales and Prince Archie of Sussex.
After a year-long engagement, Hugh and Olivia were married on Friday at Chester Cathedral, which is located near the family’s country seat, Eaton Hall, in Cheshire. For the ceremony, Olivia wore a bridal gown by a British designer, Emma Victoria Payne. The dress featured “bespoke embroidery” that incorporated “floral motifs and edgings” from an antique nineteenth-century veil that belonged to Olivia’s great-great-grandmother, Lady Geraldine Hervey. From what I gather, Olivia isn’t wearing the actual veil from the 1880s, but rather a new gown and veil featuring motifs inspired by the antique veil.
A press release offered more details about the dress: “Constructed in ivory silk crepe satin, ivory silk organza with bespoke embroidered detailing. Featuring a scalloped edge neckline with a delicate bespoke hand appliqued embroidery comprising of floral and leafy motifs. The bespoke embroidery design was hand drawn and reimagined by EVP incorporating floral motifs and edgings from Olivia’s great great grandmothers veil circa 1880. A sleek silhouette with a bias cut skirt, pleated waistband, gathered sleeves, wide embroidered silk organza cuffs with a scalloped edge repeat motif and button detailing.”
For her wedding ceremony, the new duch*ess wore a tiara that has been in the Grosvenor collection for more than a century. The diamond tiara, which features a design made to mimic sprays of myrtle leaves, was made for the family in 1906 by Fabergé. The artist responsible for creating the piece, Albert Holmström, was a Finnish jeweler who also made some of the firm’s famous imperial Easter eggs.
The tiara was commissioned at the time of the wedding of Lord Hugh Grosvenor (a younger son of the 1st Duke of Westminster) and Lady Mabel Crichton in April 1906. It appears in the published lists of Lady Mabel’s wedding gifts as “a magnificent diamond tiara,” given to her by her bridegroom. Interestingly, though, it doesn’t appear to have been worn by Lady Mabel on her wedding day. Newspapers reported that Lady Mabel, who had “a great dislike to ostentation,” wore “no gems of any kind” with her wedding ensemble, though she had received numerous bejeweled wedding presents, including the gorgeous new tiara.
Lord Hugh Grosvenor was killed in World War I, but two of his sons, Gerald and Robert, both became Dukes of Westminster after the title was passed down from cousins who did not have surviving sons. That meant that their mother’s Fabergé tiara also became a central part of the ducal jewelry collection. Robert, the 5th Duke, was the grandfather of the present 7th Duke.
In more recent years, the myrtle tiara took center stage at another set of family nuptials: the wedding of the present Duke’s eldest sister, Lady Tamara, and Edward van Cutsem, in November 2004. Lady Tamara wore the Fabergé tiara with her bridal ensemble for the ceremony, which was held at Chester Cathedral with Queen Elizabeth II as one of the guests in the congregation. Royal jewelry enthusiasts will also note that Lady Tamara wore a pair of antique diamond earrings on her wedding day. An identical pair belongs to Queen Camilla, who wore them for the religious blessing after her wedding to King Charles III in April 2005.
Here’s another look at the way that the new duch*ess of Westminster styled the antique diamond tiara on her wedding day. Olivia’s hairstyle was designed to provide a backdrop for the tall tiara. She also added a pair of classic diamond and pearl earrings to complete her bridal jewelry look.
There were numerous notable guests at the wedding on Friday, including the mother of the groom, Natalia, duch*ess of Westminster, and her three daughters, Lady Tamara van Cutsem, Lady Edwina Snow, and Lady Viola Roberts.
Natalia wore a beautiful diamond brooch with diamond and pearl earrings for her son’s wedding.
There were also two prominent royal guests in attendance. The Prince of Wales was one of the ushers during the ceremony.
And Princess Eugenie, who was one of Olivia’s classmates at Marlborough College, was also in attendance. She wore subtle gold jewelry with her olive green ensemble for the occasion.
