Mystery as Duke’s sister Lady Viola marries in secret
WHEN her sister got married, the wedding was held in splendour at Chester Cathedral with guests including the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince William.
But Lady Viola Grosvenor, who was named as one of Britain’s three most eligible young women, has got married in secret, I can disclose.
Not only did the Duke of Westminster’s sister, 29, manage to keep the British wedding ceremony unknown to anyone beyond her tight circle of family and friends, but she also had a big second celebration in Africa.
Her husband is dashing Dragoon Guards officer Angus Roberts, 30, whose parents, Andy and Caragh, run a resort on the private island of Manda Bay in Kenya. ‘It was all very hush-hush,’ a source tells me. ‘Viola didn’t want any publicity at all.’
Lady Viola’s family fortune is estimated at £10.1 billion, with Grosvenor Estates owning 300 acres of Mayfair and Belgravia in London.
The couple’s African celebration was held at the Roberts’ hotel on the exclusive white sand island in the Lamu archipelago. It’s described as the ultimate ‘no shoes, no news’ experience, perhaps explaining the media blackout of the happy event. The Roberts family have entertained many dignitaries at the resort, including the late Prince Philip.
The 2004 wedding of her sister Lady Tamara to royal pal Ed van Cutsem is said to have led to Prince Charles finally announcing his engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles.
Camilla was reportedly so infuriated to discover that royal protocol dictated she couldn’t sit with her boyfriend Charles that she told him the status quo was no longer acceptable. Three months later, Buckingham Palace announced their wedding date.
A family spokesman declines to comment. However, a close friend confirms: ‘Viola is married and her surname is now Roberts.’