Duke of Westminster and family remain second in region's rich list with £9.6bn fortune
Manchester United co-owner once again pips The Grosvenor family to the region's top spot in The Sunday Times Rich List
By Cheshire Live
The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family have been valued at £9.677bn in the latest Sunday Times Rich List, keeping them second in the North West behind Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family have remained the second wealthiest name in the North West, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.
The 2026 list estimates the family’s fortune at £9.677bn, down slightly from £9.884bn last year. That keeps them behind Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos founder and Manchester United co-owner, whose fortune is estimated at £15.194bn.
For Cheshire, the Grosvenor family’s position on the list is especially significant because of its long association with the county and the Eaton Estate near Chester.
The family’s wealth is rooted in one of Britain’s most valuable property empires. The Sunday Times Rich List profile highlights holdings including around 300 acres in London’s Mayfair and Belgravia, alongside substantial rural estates including land in Cheshire, Lancashire and Scotland.
Grosvenor describes itself as an international organisation with activities across urban property, food and agtech, rural estate management and philanthropy. Its rural estates include Eaton Estate, Reay Forest Estate and Abbeystead Estate.
The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, succeeded to the dukedom in 2016 after the death of his father. He is chair of both the Grosvenor Trustees and the Westminster Foundation, which represents the charitable interests of the Duke and Grosvenor businesses.
Although the family remains one of the wealthiest in Britain, the latest Rich List shows a small fall in its estimated fortune. The Sunday Times profile says Grosvenor Group recorded its weakest financial performance since 2008, with a reported £23.2m loss linked to factors including office devaluations in North America and development write-downs in Canada.
Even so, the scale of the family’s holdings keeps the Grosvenors firmly among the country’s wealthiest dynasties.
Their position contrasts with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose fortune is based on chemicals giant Ineos and wider sporting interests. Ratcliffe remains top of the North West ranking despite seeing his estimated wealth fall from £17.046bn in 2025 to £15.194bn in 2026.
The comparison shows two very different sources of regional wealth. The Grosvenor fortune is heavily tied to inherited land, property and long-term estate management, while Ratcliffe’s wealth comes from industry, global chemicals, energy interests and sports investment.
For Cheshire readers, the Grosvenor family’s place on the list is more than a national wealth story. The family’s name is woven into the local economy, land ownership, rural estate management and the historic identity of the Chester area.
Their estate interests also show the long-term power of property ownership. While technology, sport, finance and entertainment have created new fortunes, the latest Rich List confirms that land and prime property remain among the strongest foundations of inherited wealth in Britain.
The wider Sunday Times Rich List 2026 ranks the 350 wealthiest people and families in the UK. Together, they are worth an estimated £784bn, with 157 billionaires included on this year’s list. The full list is available on The Times website.
The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family therefore remain one of the most important wealth stories in the North West — not because their position has changed dramatically, but because it shows how strongly historic land and property wealth still shape the region’s economic landscape.