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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Margaret Abrams

What to know about the extremely eligible Duke of Westminster - and why he's richer than the Queen

One of the UK's wealthiest men, the Duke of Westminster, has pledged £12.5 million ($15,609,675) to Covid-19 relief efforts.

The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, is known for his friendship with the Royal Family as well as his impressive bank account. The 29-year-old aristocrat is also Prince George's godfather.

The duke previously donated £2.5 million and he's now given £10 million to help support the NHS, medical research and development, and charities providing food distribution, especially to feed children who would normally receive free school meals.

(Grosvenor Estate/PA)

Grosvenor, known to his pals as "Hughie," is the world's richest person under 30. Yes, that means he's much, much richer than Kylie Jenner.

Queen Elizabeth is said to be worth at least $520 million, while the British monarchy as a whole is worth around $88 billion, according to Forbes. She's the wealthiest member of the Royal Family but she's still not as wealthy as Hughie.

He inherited money from his late father, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the 6th Duke, who died suddenly of a heart attack at 64 and was a close friend of the Queen and The Prince of Wales.

(Getty Images)

He currently has a net worth of $13.32 billion, which he inherited when his father died, alongside his title and estates in Belgravia and Mayfair. And despite inheriting the vast fortune, he reportedly did not have to pay billions in inheritance taxes as much of his empire was passed down through family trusts.

His father was also philanthropic. He left millions to charities, including £20 million ($25 million) to his family charity the Westminster Foundation and £1.1 million ($1.3 million) to military museums.

Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster (Getty Images)

He has two older sisters, Lady Tamara and Lady Edwina, who didn't inherit the title or estates because of a tradition that dates back to the 11th century.

And yes, he's single. He split with his longtime girlfriend Harriet Tomlinson last year. The couple dated for years after meeting at school.

Hugh Grosvenor (PA)

If you're wondering what, exactly being a Duke entails, here's a handy guide - but basically, it's the highest of the five ranks of the peerage, landing above marquess, earl, viscount and baron.

And it's an exclusive title, as there are currently only 24 dukes (not including royal ones).

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