,type=downsize)
One of Prince George ’s godfathers is stepping up to help with coronavirus relief efforts in the UK. Billionaire Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, personally donated over $12 million (£10 million) to fight the pandemic, following an initial £2.5 million donation that was made last month. “On behalf of my family and everyone at the Grosvenor Estate, I want to say a huge thank you to all our amazing NHS staff and everyone providing critical frontline services. We are all humbled and incredibly grateful that you are working tirelessly to keep us safe and keep the country functioning,” Hugh, 29, said in a statement.
“NHS staff and key workers don’t work in isolation. They have children and families whose health and wellbeing will also be highly impacted by this crisis. As they keep us safe, I want to help provide as much support to them and their families as we can. Our donation will help create a Family Fund within NHS Charities Together to provide food, respite, rehabilitation and positive mental health support to NHS staff and their families,” he continued. “While the impact of this crisis is being felt immediately, the virus will sadly also affect people’s lives long into the future. That’s why I’m keen to support the longer-term scientific and socio-economic response to the epidemic. Through these donations, my Foundation will work with a range of fantastic charities and organisations who are able to help vulnerable people in the difficult months ahead.”
The majority of Hugh’s latest donation, which will be made available through his Westminster Foundation, will support the NHS, through NHS Charities Together, to support NHS workers and their families. Funding will also go towards medical research and development linked to coronavirus, while the remainder will be split amongst charities and organizations that are providing frontline support to people who may struggle with the long-term impact of the pandemic. Hugh’s initial donation in March was primarily given to charities that are providing food distribution to vulnerable families.
Hugh, who is the UK’s richest man under 30, became the Duke of Westminster upon his father Gerald Grosvenor’s death in 2016. Back in 2013, Prince William and Kate Middleton picked Hugh as one of Prince George’s godparents. Like the future King’s godfather, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have also made a donation to show their support amid the health crisis. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are donating over $100,000 (£90,000) that was generated from the BBC broadcast of their 2018 wedding to Feeding Britain —a UK charity that is working to eliminate hunger.