Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor Net Worth & Biography

Major General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, passed away on 9 August 2016 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was a British landowner, Territorial Army general, businessman, and philanthropist. He also led the property company Grosvenor Group as chairman and was ranked as the second-wealthiest person in the United Kingdom, with only The Queen above him.

Early Life: Childhood, Education

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor was born on 22 December 1951 in Northern Ireland to Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster, and his wife Viola Lyttelton. As a child, he lived on an island in the middle of Lower Lough Erne in Ulster.

The Duke’s early education was in Northern Ireland before he joined Sunningdale School in Ascot when he was 7 years old. Because of his accent, Gerald struggled to fit in initially and was even bullied because of it. Unhappy at boarding school where it was difficult for him to make friends, his education suffered. He left school with two O-levels in English and history and entered the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. He served in the Territorial Army and earned a promotion to the rank of major-general in 2004.

Professional Life: Businesses

Gerald inherited his dukedom in 1979 together with his family’s business, Grosvenor Estates. Through the business, he became the richest property developer in the UK and was one of the country’s largest landowners, with assets in Cheshire, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Southampton, Liverpool, and Oxford, including 300 acres of Mayfair and Belgravia in London, as well as the family’s country seat of Eaton Hall. The business also has interests in other countries in Europe.

The Grosvenor family’s first business interest was in Mayfair, Central London during the early 18th century. The second major development came around a century later and was in Belgravia, another exclusive part of London. The family business expanded after developing the two parts of Central London. During the later part of the 20th century, the business stretched out into the Americas and developed Vancouver and Annacis Island, both in British Columbia in the 1950s. The family business started working in Australia in the 1960s. They moved to Asia in the 1990s and to Continental Europe just before the year 2000. In April 2000, the company moved into new London offices. It was headed by Gerald himself, who was Chairman of the Trustees. The Duke also served as Director of Claridge’s Hotel from 1981 until 1993 and occupied the position of director at Marcher Sound as well from 1992 until 1997.

Personal Life: Family, Children, Private Interests

In 1978, the Duke of Westminster married Natalia Ayesha Phillips and went on to have 4 children with her.

Illness, Death

In 1998, Gerald suffered a nervous breakdown and depression, blaming the overwhelming pressures of public life and business. His depression got worse after newspapers reports emerged that he had been spending time with prostitutes.

Several years later, on 9 August 2016, the Duke passed away at Royal Preston Hospital in Preston, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Abbeystead Estate. He was laid to rest in the family plot at St Mary’s Church, Eccleston.

The title of Duke has since been passed to his only son, Hugh.

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Assets

Gerald Grosvenor was best known as the 6th Duke of Westminster during his time alive. He had a net worth of $12 billion at the peak of his career and was considered to be one of the 5 wealthiest people in the United Kingdom. At a time, he was even the richest person in Britain thanks to a family establishment that dates back to the 17^th century.

The Duke was a successful landowner and the owner of the UK-based property company Grosvenor Group. He served in the British Army between 1973-2012 and received many military awards. He was elected Chancellor of the University of Chester in 2005, and was known as one of the biggest and richest property developers in the United Kingdom. Through Grosvenor Estates, the Duke was one of the country’s top landowners, owning extensive estates in Oxford, Cheshire, London, and Scotland, as well as in other parts of Europe. He passed on in 2016 at the age of 65 after suffering a heart attack. He is survived by his wife Natalia Phillips, the daughter of Lt Col. Harold Pedro Jose\ph Phillips, and their 4 children; Lady Viola Georgina Grosvenor (born in 1992), Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor (born in 1991), Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor (born in 1981), and Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor (born in 1979).