The Prince of Wales has joined thousands of well-wishers at Chester Cathedral for the Duke of Westminster’s wedding.
Hugh Grosvenor, godfather to King Charles III, married Olivia Henson earlier in the cathedral, with Prince William serving as a pallbearer in their wedding reception.
The 33-year-old Duke is Prince George’s godfather, but the 10-year-old was unable to attend the ceremony with his father because it fell on a school day.
Police removed two women from the crowd after an orange plume from a fire extinguisher was used as the couple left the cathedral.
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Campaign group Just Stop Oil said two of its supporters used the devices to project powder paint near the entrance as newlyweds walked to their cars.
Cheshire Police said two women, a 69-year-old from Manchester and a 73-year-old from Suffolk, were arrested on suspicion of public order offences.
The Duke is considered one of the UK’s richest men, with a fortune of around £10bn and his bride has worked in the sustainable food and drink industry.
He is said to be godfather to Prince George, and he is also godfather to the Duke of Sussex’s son, Prince Archie.
Prince Harry, who attended the wedding of the duke’s sister Lady Tamara Grosvenor with his brother in 2004, did not attend the service by mutual agreement.
The King and Queen Camilla did not attend the service after traveling to Normandy for D-Day commemorations on Thursday.
The Princess of Wales, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, also did not attend.
The bride wore a dress and veil designed by Emma Victoria Payne, embroidered with floral motifs and fringes from Ms Henson’s great-grandmother’s veil from around 1880.
The 31-year-old also wore a vintage tiara featuring a myrtle leaf design, which was made for brides by prestigious Russian jewelers Faberge Grosvenor and has been worn on their wedding days since 1906.
Her bouquet consisted of flowers picked from the gardens of Eden Hall, the Duke’s country home.
image source, Good pictures
People came out to the cathedral early in the morning, bringing camping chairs and picnics.
During the service, thousands gathered outside the cathedral and in the surrounding streets, and many of them protested when the couple reappeared.
Barbara Williams, 81, from Cheshire, who stood next to protesters at the crowd, said she was “a bit shaken up afterwards”.
She and her friend Andrea Machin, 56, said, “We’ve been standing next to them all day.”
“When we arrived at 07:00 they were already here [and] They had shopping trolleys,” Ms Machin said.
“Everybody was looking at the bride and groom and then we saw the orange and it was like a fire extinguisher with them.
“The police very quickly realized what was going on and pulled them out.
“It happened when William was coming out the door.”
In a statement released by Just Stop Oil, protesters said weddings are “a time of celebration with a commitment to the future” but that “countless millions around the world have no future unless we come together to stop oil.” and gas”.
A representative for the Duke and Ms Henson said it would be “a lot” to marry in Chester because of the Grosvenor family’s “long and close personal connection to both the cathedral and the city”.
The couple “made a conscious effort to involve local and regional suppliers in many aspects of the day,” they said.
“The couple has been moved by the messages of support they have received from the region and are very grateful that people want to share in their happiness,” they added.
The city’s annual Summer Flowers scheme was sponsored by the couple, with 100,000 flowers planted as part of the wedding celebrations and free ice cream and sorbet from three local independent businesses for visitors to Chester city centre. day
Poppy, a student at the University of Chester, was one of those who enjoyed the free ice cream.
“It’s great to see people and businesses come together,” she said.
“It’s really fun to get students out into the city and get them involved,” she added.
Following his father’s death in 2016, the Duke assumed ownership and control of the Grosvenor estate at the age of 25, and the couple announced their engagement in April 2023 after two years together.
