Hugh van Cutsem
| Hugh van Cutsem | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 July 1941 |
| Died | 2 September 2013 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | English |
| Education |
Ampleforth College University of Cambridge |
| Occupation |
Landowner Banker Businessman Horsebreeder |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Spouse(s) | Emilie Quarles van Ufford |
| Children |
Edward van Cutsem Hugh Ralph van Cutsem Nicholas van Cutsem William van Cutsem |
| Parent(s) |
Bernard van Cutsem Mary Compton |
| Relatives | Jonkheer Pieter Quarles van Ufford (father-in-law) |
Hugh van Cutsem (21 July 1941 – 2 September 2013) was an English landowner, banker, businessman, and horse-breeder.
Early life
Hugh Bernard Edward van Cutsem was born on 21 July 1941.[1][2][3] His father, Bernard van Cutsem (1916–1975), was a millionaire horse trainer and breeder.[2][3] His mother was Mary Compton.[2][3] The van Cutsems were Roman Catholic of Flemish origin who had moved to England in the nineteenth century.[2] He graduated from Ampleforth College, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, and from the University of Cambridge.[2][3][4][5][6] He then served as an officer in the Life Guards.[2]
Business career
Van Cutsem worked as an investment banker at Hambros Bank.[2][5] Later, he started his own company and purchased further companies, including a data storage company.[2][5]
Conservation
Van Cutsem inherited his father's stud Northmore Farm in Exning near Newmarket, Suffolk in 1976.[2] He also owned a 4,000-acre estate in Norfolk, best known for its private wild game shoots.[2][4] In 2001, the estate had thirty-five pairs of Stone-curlews, a very rare bird.[2] On top of this, he owned a hunting lodge and grouse moor on the North Yorkshire-Cumbria border.[2] In the 1990s, he sold his father's farm in Exning and purchased the Hilborough estate, where he transferred his horsebreeding operations.[2] In 1994, he won a Country Landowners' Association for his restoration of an old barn on the Hilborough estate; Prince Charles presented the award.[2]
He was a founding member of the Countryside Movement, a conservationist non-profit organization.[2] He was also a significant fundraiser for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, a British charity highlighting game and wildlife management for the benefit of conservation.[2] Moreover, he served as Chairman of the Countryside Business Trust.[2] He was also elected to the Council of the National Trust.[2]
Personal life
On 10 June 1971, he married Emilie Quarles van Ufford, who was born in the Netherlands and a daughter of Jonkheer Pieter Quarles van Ufford, at Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks.[1][2][3][4][5] They had four sons:[2][3][4][5]
- Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem (born 1973); married Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor, daughter of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster in 2004; they have two sons and a daughter:
- Hugh Ralph van Cutsem (born 1974); married Rose Nancy Langhorne Astor, daughter of David Waldorf Astor (a grandson of Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor) and Clare Pamela St. John in 2005; they have three children:
- Grace Emilie Clare van Cutsem (born 2007); was a flower-girl in the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
- Rafe Michael Waldorf van Cutsem (born 2009)
- Charles Hugh Valentine van Cutsem (born 2012)[3][8]
- Nicholas Peter Geoffrey van Cutsem (born 1977); married Alice C. Hadden-Paton, daughter of former Cavalry officer Nigel Hadden-Paton, and sister of actor Harry Hadden-Paton, on 14 August 2009.[3][9]
- William Henry van Cutsem (born 1979);[3][10] was educated at Ampleforth College[11] and is married to Rosanna Ruck-Keene on 11 May 2013. He is godfather to Prince George of Cambridge.[12][13]
The family rented Anmer Hall in Anmer, Norfolk on the Queen's Sandringham estate for ten years.[2][3][4][5][14] They later moved into a neo-Palladian mansion designed by architect Francis Johnson in Hilborough, on their estate.[2][3][5]
A devout Roman Catholic, he built a chapel near his Hilborough residence for family occasions, with visiting priests.[2] However, he also regularly attended Mass at Our Lady of Pity in Swaffham with his family.[2] In 1993, he was appointed a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[2][3]
He was a friend of Charles, Prince of Wales since university.[2][5] His son Edward, whose godfather was Prince Charles, was a pageboy at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.[2][5] His granddaughter, Grace van Cutsem, was a flower-girl at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011.[5][6]
Funeral
Van Cutsem died on 2 September 2013, aged 72.[1][3] His funeral took place in the Brentwood Cathedral and was conducted by Thomas McMahon, Bishop of Brentwood.[5] Each of his four sons also gave a reading; Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor read the prayer of commendation; the choir sang "Pie Jesu".[5] It was attended by the Prince of Wales; his sons, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry; and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; together with Andrew Parker Bowles; Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester; Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester; Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland; Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster; Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster; and Lady Tamara Grosvenor.[5][6]
References
- 1 2 3 Gordon Cramb, Hugh van Cutsem, countryman, 1941-2013, The Financial Times, 6 September 2013
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Hugh van Cutsem, The Daily Telegraph, 3 September 2013
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "The Peerage: Hugh Bernard Edward van Cutsem". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Martin Robinson, 'He's been hit very hard': Prince Charles is in mourning after his close friend Hugh Van Cutsem dies, The Daily Mail, 4 September 2013
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Martin Robinson, Sombre Prince Charles joined by William, Harry and Camilla at the funeral of his closest friend Hugh van Cutsem, The Daily Mail, 11 September 2013
- 1 2 3 Josh Duboff, William and Harry Join Prince Charles at Funeral of His Closest Friend, Vanity Fair, 11 September 2013
- ↑ "The Peerage: Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ↑ "The Peerage: Hugh Ralph van Cutsem". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ↑ "The Peerage: Nicholas Peter Geoffrey van Cutsem". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ↑ "The Peerage: William Henry van Cutsem". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ↑ "Pigeon Management Team website". web.archive.org. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ↑ Gordon Rayner, Prince George christening: profiles of the godparents, The Daily Telegraph, 23 October 2013
- ↑ Catherine Ostler, Rebecca English, Meet the godparents: Kate and William's closest friends are chosen for key role as George's spiritual guardians, The Daily Mail, 24 October 2013.
- ↑ Martin Robinson, One requires a conservatory! Wills and Kate set to join Middle Britain with glass-roofed extension at new Sandringham home as aides apply for planning permission, The Daily Mail, 1 October 2013