Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, 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
Major General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, (22 December 1951 – 9 August 2016), was a British landowner, businessman, philanthropist, Territorial Army general, and peer. He was the son of Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of ...
and mother of the
7th Duke. As of 2021, the Duchess's family, specifically her son, were 12th on the ''
Sunday Times Rich List
The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday news ...
'' with a net worth of £10.045 billion.
Early life
Born Natalia Ayesha Phillips, she is the youngest daughter of
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Harold "Bunnie" Phillips and
Georgina "Gina" Wernher.
Her paternal grandparents were
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Joseph Phillips and Mary Bryce, daughter of
John Pablo Bryce
John Pablo Bryce of Bystock Court, Exmouth, Devon (10 October 1846 in Callao, Peru – 3 March 1901 in Rome, Italy) was a member of the British gentry.
Family
He was the son of John Paul Bryce (1817 in Edinburgh – 9 March 1888 in Biarr ...
. Her maternal grandparents were
Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Bt, and
Countess Anastasia de Torby, morganatic daughter of
Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia
Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian: Михаил Михайлович; 16 October 1861 – 26 April 1929) was a son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia and a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.
He was raised in the C ...
. 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.
She and her siblings are direct descendants of poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
and
Afro-Russian
Afro-Russians (russian: Афророссияне, Afrorossiyane) are people of African descent that have migrated to and settled in Russia. The Metis Foundation estimates that there were about 30,000 Afro-Russians in 2013.
Terminology
Represen ...
engineer
Abram Gannibal
Abram Petrovich Gannibal, also Hannibal or Ganibal, or Abram Hannibal or Abram Petrov ( ru , Абра́м Петро́вич Ганниба́л; c. 1696 – 14 May 1781), was a Russian military engineering, military engineer, General in Chief, ...
.
Marriage and issue
Natalia met
Gerald Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor, at a ball at
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace (pronounced ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal, non- episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, on ...
in 1977.
When Natalia's maternal grandmother heard she was going out with the heir to the Duke of Westminster, she told her "Don't let him go. Don't let him go, you must come down and bring him to lunch".
They married the next year at
St Mary's Church, Luton, near her family seat,
Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo is an English country house and Estate (land), estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Old English language, Saxon word wikt:hoo#Etym ...
, 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.
Notable guests at the wedding included
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, (born Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott; 25 December 1901 – 29 October 2004) was the wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the mother ...
,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
and
Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...
, and
Lord Mountbatten
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...
, whose granddaughter,
India Hicks
India Amanda Caroline Hicks (born 5 September 1967) is a British designer, writer, businesswoman, and former fashion model. After graduating from the New England School of Photography, Hicks became an interior designer and a model for Ralph Laur ...
, 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 have four children and six grandchildren:
* Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor (born 20 December 1979), married Edward van Cutsem, son of
Hugh van Cutsem
Hugh Bernard Edward van Cutsem (21 July 1941 – 2 September 2013) was an English banker, businessman, landowner and horse-breeder.
Early life
Hugh Bernard Edward van Cutsem was born on 21 July 1941.Gordon Cramb ''Financial Times'', 6 Septembe ...
, on 6 November 2004 at
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sain ...
. 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
Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (born 4 November 1981) is an English criminologist, philanthropist and prison reformer. She is a founder and a trustee of the charity The Clink, and founder of the charity One Small Thing. She is the sister of Hugh Gr ...
(born November 1981), married
Daniel Snow on 27 November 2010. 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)
* Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor (born 12 October 1992)
Activities
The Duchess supports many charitable endeavours in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
and across the United Kingdom, these include the Alex Moulton Charitable Trust and the Hopsice of the Good Shepherd.
The Duchess is godmother of
William, Prince of Wales
William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was educat ...
, in turn,
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
, was godmother of her daughter,
Lady Edwina, and her son,
Hugh
Hugh may refer to:
*Hugh (given name)
Noblemen and clergy French
* Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks
* Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II
* Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...
, is godfather of
Prince George of Wales
Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...
.
The Duchess owns a vineyard in
Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
called "La Cappelletta" where she produces ''Vermentino della Cappelletta'', a Ligurian
Vermentino
Vermentino is a light-skinned wine grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in both Sardinia and Liguria, to some extent in Corsica, in Piedmont under the name Favorita, and in increasing amounts in Languedoc-Roussillo ...
.
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westminster, Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of
1959 births
Living people
Duchesses of Westminster
British duchesses by marriage
British winemakers
People from London
Wernher family
English people of German descent
English people of Russian descent
English people of Cameroonian descent
English people of Peruvian descent
Wives of knights