Hugh Bernard Edward van Cutsem (21 July 1941 – 2 September 2013) was an English banker, businessman, landowner and horse-breeder.

Early life and education

Hugh Bernard Edward van Cutsem was born on 21 July 1941.Gordon Cramb

''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', 6 September 2013 His father

Bernard van Cutsem Bernard Henry Richard Harcourt van Cutsem (23 January 1916 – 8 December 1975) was an English horsebreeder and racehorse trainer. Ancestry and early life The van Cutsem family are Catholics, and of Belgian origin. His mother was Mary Compton, a descendant of the chiefly line of

Clan Farquharson Clan Farquharson () ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan based at Invercauld and Braemar, Aberdeenshire, and is a member of the Chattan Confederation.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Forewor ...

. The van Cutsems were Catholics of Belgian origin who had moved to England in the nineteenth century. He was educated at

Sunningdale School Sunningdale School is a boys' preparatory independent boarding school of up to 105 pupils, situated in Sunningdale in Berkshire, close to London, England. History The school was founded in 1874 by William Girdlestone, it has of gardens and ...

and

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...

, a Roman Catholic boarding school in

Ampleforth Ampleforth is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north of York. The village is situated on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. The parish has a population of 883 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 1, ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, and graduated from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

.Josh Duboff
William and Harry Join Prince Charles at Funeral of His Closest Friend
'' Vanity Fair'', 11 September 2013 He then served as an officer in the Life Guards.

Business career

Van Cutsem worked as an investment banker at

Hambros Bank Hambros Bank was a British bank based in London. The Hambros bank was a specialist in Anglo-Scandinavian business with expertise in trade finance and investment banking, and was the sole banker to the Scandinavian kingdoms for many years. The bank ...

. Later he began his own company and purchased further companies, including a data storage company.

Land ownership

Van Cutsem inherited his father's stud Northmore Farm in

Exning Exning is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly east-northeast of Cambridge, and south-southeast of Ely. The nearest large town is Newmarket. T ...

near

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global ...

, in 1976. He also owned a 4,000-acre estate in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, best known for its private wild game shoots. In 2001, the estate had thirty-five pairs of

stone-curlew The stone-curlews, also known as dikkops or thick-knees, consist of 10 species within the family Burhinidae, and are found throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world, with two or more species occurring in some areas of Africa, Asia, ...

s, a very rare bird. In addition he owned a hunting lodge and grouse moor managed for shooting interest on the

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

border. In the 1990s, he sold his father's farm in Exning and purchased the Hilborough estate in Norfolk, whence he transferred his horse-breeding operations. In 1994, he won a

Country Landowners' Association The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is a membership organisation representing landowners, property owners and businesses owners in England and Wales. Until 2000, the organisation was known as the Country Landowners Association. The ...

award for his restoration of an old barn on the Hilborough estate; the Prince of Wales (later

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

) presented the award. He was a founding member of the

Countryside Movement The Countryside Alliance (CA) is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as farming, rural services, small businesses and field sports, aiming to "Give Rural Britain a voice". History The Countryside Alliance ...

, a non-profit organization which later became the Countryside Alliance, focussed on shooting. He was also a significant fundraiser for the

Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (formerly the Game Conservancy Trust) is a British charitable organisation using science to promote game and wildlife management as an essential part of nature conservation. For over 80 years the Trust has ...

, a British charity promoting game and wildlife management whilst working with the shooting and hunting community. Moreover, he served as Chairman of the Countryside Business Trust. He was also elected to the Council of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

Marriage and issue

On 10 June 1971, he married Emilie

Quarles van Ufford Quarles van Ufford (also: Quarles or Quarles de Quarles, stemming from Quarles) is the name of a Dutch family of English descent whose members have belonged to Dutch nobility since 1815. History The lineage started with William Quarles from No ...

, who was born in the Netherlands as the daughter of

Jonkheer (female equivalent: ; in the masculine only; ''jonkvrouw'' is used in the feminine, even in French; ) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used ...

Pieter Quarles van Ufford, at

Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks The Royal Military Chapel, commonly known as the Guards' Chapel, is a British Army place of worship that serves as the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in Westminster, Greater London. Completed in 1838 in the st ...

. They had four sons: * Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem (born 1973); godson of King

and a page boy at his

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

; educated at

(1991), he graduated from

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

(1995) with a degree in Combined Arts; formerly a managing director at

BlackRock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational investment company. Founded in 1988, initially as an enterprise risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager ...

and more recently a venture capital investor; married Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor, daughter of

Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster Major General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster (22 December 1951 – 9 August 2016) was a British landowner, businessman, aristocrat, Territorial Army general, and peer. He was the son of Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of West ...

, and Natalia Phillips, in 2004. They have three children: ** Jake Louis Hannibal van Cutsem (born 2009) ** Louis Hugh Lupus van Cutsem (born 2012) ** Isla van Cutsem (born 2015) * Hugh Ralph van Cutsem (born 1974); married Rose Nancy Langhorne Astor, daughter of David Waldorf Astor (a grandson of

Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor, DL (19 May 1879 – 30 September 1952) was an American-born English politician and newspaper proprietor. He was a member of the Astor family. He was active in minor political roles. He was devoted to charita ...

) and Clare Pamela St. John in 2005. They have three children: ** Grace Emilie Clare van Cutsem (born 2007); goddaughter of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

and a bridesmaid at his

Catherine Middleton Catherine, Princess of Wales (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982), is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne. Born in Reading, Catherine grew u ...

. ** Rafe Michael Waldorf van Cutsem (born 2009) ** Charles Hugh Valentine van Cutsem; a

page of honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...

to King Charles III. * Nicholas Peter Geoffrey van Cutsem (born 1977); godfather to

Prince Louis of Wales Prince Louis of Wales ( ; Louis Arthur Charles; born 23 April 2018) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third and youngest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a grandson of Charles III and D ...

; married Alice C. Hadden-Paton, daughter of former

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

officer Nigel Hadden-Paton, and sister of actor

Harry Hadden-Paton Harry Frederick Gerard Hadden-Paton (born 10 April 1981) is a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as Herbert "Bertie" Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, in the television series ''Downton Abbey'' (2014–2015) and Mar ...

, on 14 August 2009. They have one daughter: ** Florence van Cutsem (born 2014); goddaughter of the

Duke of Sussex Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is a hereditary title of a specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. It has been c ...

and a bridesmaid at his

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...

. * William Henry van Cutsem (born 1979); godfather to

Prince George of Wales Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...

; educated at Ampleforth College; married Rosanna Ruck-Keene on 11 May 2013. For ten years the family rented

Anmer Hall Anmer Hall is a Georgian country house in the village of Anmer in Norfolk, England. Built in the 19th century, it was acquired by the Sandringham Estate sometime after Queen Victoria purchased the property, and has previously been leased to ...

in Anmer,

, on the royal family's

Sandringham estate Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a esta ...

. They later moved into a neo-

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

mansion designed by architect Francis Johnson in Hilborough, on their estate. A devout Catholic, he built a chapel near his Hilborough residence for family occasions, and arranged for priests to visit. However, he also regularly attended Mass at Our Lady of Pity in

Swaffham Swaffham () is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District and England, English county of Norfolk. It is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of and in the U ...

with his family. In 1993, he was appointed a Knight of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

. Hugh van Cutsem became a friend of King Charles III during his university days.

Death and funeral

Van Cutsem died on 2 September 2013, aged 72. His funeral took place in

Brentwood Cathedral The Cathedral of St Mary and St Helen is a Catholic cathedral in Brentwood, Essex, England. It is the seat of the Diocese of Brentwood. History Brentwood Cathedral began in 1861 as a parish church built in a Gothic style. This relatively smal ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

and was conducted by Thomas McMahon,

Bishop of Brentwood The Bishop of Brentwood is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood in the Province of Westminster, England. Overview The diocese covers the historic county of Essex, an area of comprising the non-metropolitan county of Essex, t ...

. Each of his four sons also gave a reading; Cardinal

Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009. He was also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made ...

read the prayer of commendation; the choir sang "

Pie Jesu "Pie Jesu" ( ; original Latin: "Pie Iesu" ) is a text from the '' Lacrimosa'', a hymn in the sequence " Dies irae," where it is the final (nineteenth) couplet. The couplet is often included in musical settings of the Requiem Mass as a motet. The ph ...

". It was attended by the then Prince of Wales (later Charles III); his sons,

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

and

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...

; and his wife, Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall; together with

Andrew Parker Bowles Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier Andrew Henry Parker Bowles (born 27 December 1939) is a retired British Army officer. He is the former husband of Queen Camilla, who is now the wife of King Charles III. Early life and family Andrew Parker ...

;

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the youngest ...

;

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (born Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen; 20 June 1946) is a Danish-born member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a grandson of George V, King George V. Early life ...

; the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and Princess of Liechtenstein; Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland;

; and

Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Dowager Duchess of Westminster (''née'' Phillips; born 8 May 1959), is a British aristocrat, philanthropist and winemaker. She is the widow of the 6th Duke of Westminster and mother of the 7th Duke. As of 2024, the D ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:van Cutsem, Hugh 1941 births 2013 deaths People educated at Sunningdale School People educated at Ampleforth College Alumni of the University of Cambridge People from Hilborough English bankers English landowners English racehorse owners and breeders English Roman Catholics Knights of Malta English people of Belgian descent English people of Flemish descent

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

20th-century English businesspeople People named in the Paradise Papers