The Duke and Duchess of Westminster, Hugh and Olivia Grosvenor, got married on June 7, 2024. The couple tied the knot at Chester Cathedral. Just as quickly as they were married, speculation started about what would happen to the Duke of Westminster title if the couple doesn't have a son.
It is said that if Hugh Grosvenor doesn't have a son, the title will die with him. But Olivia’s step-first cousin twice removed through marriage, the Earl of Wilton, would be given the subsidiary title, the Marquess of Westminster.
Francis Grosvenor, the 8th Earl of Wilton, currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he settled after pursuing a financial career in the financial industry that took him from London to Hong Kong. He earned a doctorate in Philosophy-Arts from Melbourne University, which is where he also taught.
The centuries-old rule is that the firstborn son inherits the Westminster title. Even if the firstborn child is a girl, she will not be able to inherit the title or the family fortune and estate. This rule directly impacted Hugh, who has two older sisters, Lady Tamara and Lady Edwina Grosvenor. He received the title as his father's first and only son over them.
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There has been much campaigning to try to change the law around younger sons inheriting over firstborn daughters. Conservative MP Harriet Baldwin proposed the Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill, which hopes to change the law to allow female heirs to take a hereditary peerage or baronetcy. It will be given a second reading on June 21, 2024.
