Prince George's godfather is the new Duke of Westminster
LONDON — The sixth Duke of Westminster, one of Britain's wealthiest men and a friend of the royal family, has died at the age of 64.
Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, whose family owns land and real estate around the world, including in two of London's most affluent neighborhoods, passed away in a hospital in Preston, northwestern England, on Tuesday after suddenly falling ill at his nearby Abbeystead Estate, his Grosvenor Estate said.
"His family are all aware and they ask for privacy and understanding at this very difficult time," the estate said in a statement on its website.
The duke was the 114th richest person in the world at the time of his death, according to Forbes, which estimated his wealth at $11 billion.
His 25-year-old son Hugh Grosvenor, one of Prince George's godfathers, becomes the 7th Duke of Westminster and inherits the estate.
The family traces its history back almost 1,000 years. Its property business began in 1677 when the duke's ancestor, Sir Thomas Grosvenor, married an heiress, Mary Davies, and acquired 500 acres of swamp, pasture and orchards in London, the Grosvenor Estate said.
It said that 300 acres of that land are still owned by the family, in Mayfair and Belgravia, near Buckingham Palace.
The duke, who inherited the title and family business in 1979 when his father Robert, the 5th duke, died, revealed in 2000 that he had a nervous breakdown and became depressed two years earlier, amid the pressures of running the business and making hundreds public appearances a year, the BBC reported.
As a young man, the duke had planned to become a farmer but his life changed when his uncle, the 4th duke, died in 1967 with no heir and the title passed to his younger brother, the fifth duke.
“Given the choice, I would rather not have been born wealthy, but I never think of giving it up,” the 6th duke told The Independent in 1992.
The duke's Westminster Foundation supports a number of charities in areas where his estate has an interest. He also served as president of the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the first aid charity St. John Ambulance for years.
The duke was close to most of the senior members of the royal family: Prince Charles asked him to be a mentor to his son Prince William, who later asked the duke's son and heir, Hugh, to be a godfather to Prince George when he was christened in 2013. One of William's best friends is married to Hugh's older sister.
Buckingham Palace said that Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip were sending a message of condolence to the duke’s family.
Prince Charles’ office said he and his wife Camilla were “deeply shocked and greatly saddened” by his death. The duke is survived by his wife Natalia, his son and three daughters.