Regardless of how much Forbes magazine praised Kylie Jenner as “self-made”, Hugh Grosvenor has made no attempt to hide the very public fact he had a hand in his wealth, inheriting a shade more than £10 billion (US$12.3 billion) from his father. Among the estates he now owns are properties in elite Belgravia and Mayfair, and the historic and storied Grosvenor Square is named for the family. His personal wealth bests that even of Queen Elizabeth’s personal £429.3 million (admittedly of the monarchy’s massive US$88 billion) fortune.

Are Barack and Michelle Obama really worth US$135 million? 

Courting controvers y

Over the years his family tried its best to keep Hugh from the media spotlight, and little is known about the private man, aside from the fact he attended Ellesmere College and Newcastle University before working with a green energy firm in the mid-2010s. He has three sisters and is now the owner of the Grosvenor Group, one of London’s most elite property developers.

Unlike Jenner, however, Grosvenor got caught in the crossfire for his inheritance, a trust of which he is the beneficial, not legal, owner, exempting the fortune from the UK’s considerable 40 per cent inheritance tax. As reported in The Guardian, the inheritance renewed calls for tax reform, particularly where the public interest is concerned. The Grosvenor family owns thousands of hectares of urban and rural land.

Remaking the city

Despite the controversy, Grosvenor Group puts a great deal of its real estate acumen back into the city. The lush 2.5 hectare Grosvenor Square is among London’s most evocative, and has served as the beating heart of Mayfair since the 18th century. The location has been home to diplomats, socialites and artists, has been starred in films, and former American Embassy and Canadian High Commission, No 1 Grosvenor Square is being transformed into an apartment building, along with the US Navy building at No 20. No 44 soon to be a Rosewood Hotel.

Nestled as it is amid Duke, Grosvenor and Brook Streets, the park is a little corner of quiet in the heart of, arguably, London’s most exclusive district, and is entirely open to the public.

Grosvenor will have his work cut out for him in continuing the family legacy. Spreading out from the square, Grosvenor Estate landmarks such as Claridge’s, The Connaught hotels, Hyde and Regent’s Parks and neighbourhoods including Fitzrovia, Belgravia and Kensington have gone a long way to defining the city as we know it.

Carrying on Grosvenor’s philanthropy

The 6th Duke was philanthropic, becoming a regular contributor to charities and bequeathing £20 million to the family charity, The Westminster Foundation, as well as £1.1 million to military museums. Hugh is actively protecting the city’s architectural heritage and making a contribution to its future. Since the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic, he’s donated £12.5 million to the UK’s National Health Service, to research and development and children’s food charities to help combat Covid-19.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .