'You'll be a Man, my son!' The Duke of Westminster's son and heir reads moving Kipling tribute to his billionaire father as Kate and William lead royals at his memorial service at Chester Cathedral 

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were among 1,400 mourners who gathered to pay tribute to the sixth Duke of Westminster at a memorial service today.

The royal couple joined the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, family and friends to celebrate the life of Major General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor at Chester Cathedral this afternoon.

The billionaire duke, a close friend of the Royal Family, died of a heart attack aged 64 on August 9. He fell ill at his grouse shooting estate, Abbeystead House in Lancashire, and was later taken to hospital.

The father-of-four was Britain's third richest man and the richest property developer in the UK. His vast wealth came from estates in Oxford, Cheshire, and Scotland as well as huge swathes of Mayfair and Belgravia.

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Prince William and Kate, both 34, joined hundreds of mourners as they paid tribute to the sixth Duke of Westminster

Prince Charles, 68, and Camilla, 69, looked somber as they arrived at the memorial service at Chester Cathedral today

The Duke of Westminster's children, Lady Viola, 24, left, and Hugh Grosvenor, 25, who inherited the dukedom, at the service

The Duke's daughter Lady Edwina Grosvenor, 35, and her husband Dan Snow, 37, arrive at the service with their children

The duke's widow, Natalia Phillips, 57, arrived at the service with their son, Hugh, 25. Right, the sixth Duke of Westminster

Prince William, whose godmother is the Duke of Westminster's widow, arrived at the service with the Duchess of Cambridge

Hugh Grosvenor, 25, left, son of Gerald Grosvenor, attended the service today. Right, Princess Eugenie, 26, also attended

Hundreds of mourners gathered on the streets of Chester as members of the Royal Family arrived for the service today

His widow, Natalia Phillips, is a godmother to Prince William and their son, Hugh Grosvenor, 25, who inherited the dukedom, is godfather to Prince George. 

He is also survived by daughters Lady Tamara van Cutsem, Lady Edwina Snow and Lady Viola Grosvenor.

Lady Edwina read her own 'A letter to my father' an excerpt from which reads: 'You taught me so much. fight for what you believe in. Don't ever give up. If you are knocked down, dust yourself off...and get back on your feet.'

The duke's son read his father's favourite poem, If, by Rudyard Kipling which includes the lines: 'If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!' 

Close family members attended a 'quiet' private funeral service in the days after his death but today around 1,400 attended the memorial service at Chester Cathedral. 

Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were all invited alongside charity colleagues and workers from the Duke of Westminster's estates. 

The service - which lasted for just over an hour - was led by the Dean of Chester, the Very Revd Professor Gordon McPhate, while other members of the clergy attended including the Bishop of Chester and the Rt Revd Dr Peter Forster. 

Members of the Choir of Chester Cathedral, conducted by Philip Rushforth, sang during the service.

The congregation - along with the choir - sang five hymns including Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; Thine be the glory; Maccabeus; Mine eyes have seen the glory and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. 

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were represented by the Prince of Wales. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Eugenie of York also attended.  

In his obituary, it said the sixth Duke was a 'passionate country man, a committed soldier, an excellent shot and true entrepreneur'.

It read: 'He went out of his way to be courteous and humorous with all people, regardless of status or wealth.

'Distinctly down-to-earth the Duke of Westminster was rarely seen without a Diet Coke and a cigarette (letter electric). 

'He was a natural sportsman and as a youth excelled on the football pitch with an ability to strike the ball equally well with either foot but was discouraged to pursue this further by his father.

'He was also a good cricketer but his abiding love was for country sports and he was acknowledged to be one of the finest shots in the country.'  

THE 7TH DUKE OF WESTMINSTER READ IF, BY RUDYARD KIPLING

The 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor (pictured), read his father's favourite poem 

'If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

The Duke, left, and Duchess of Cambridge, right, leave the memorial service at Chester Cathedral on Monday afternoon

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, pictured together, leaving the memorial service of the Duke of Westminster

Prince William and Kate, left, and his cousin Princess Eugenie, right, were among the royals who attended the service

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid tribute to their close friend, the sixth Duke of Westminster, today

Prince Charles carries an order of service as he leaves the cathedral, left. Right, the Duchess of Cambridge looked sombre

The Duchess of Cambridge looked elegant in all-black as she waved to well-wishers on her way out of the cathedral

The Grosvenor family's ancestral home is Eaton Hall at Eccleston, near Chester, and the Duke was also buried in the village.

At the time of his death the landowner was worth around £8.65 billion according to Forbes, making him the 68th richest person in the world, and third in the UK.

He owned 190 acres in Belgravia, adjacent to Buckingham Palace and one of London's most expensive areas, as well as thousands of acres in Scotland and Spain.

A confidante and close friend of many senior royals, Prince Charles asked the Duke of Westminster to become a private mentor and guide to a young Prince William.  

Prince William, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge are all regular visitors to the Grosvenor properties. 

Lady Tamara is married to Prince William's best friends, Edward van Cutsem, and William and Harry were both ushers at their wedding in 2004.     

However Gerald Grosvenor was never meant to inherit the title. He had dreamed of becoming a professional soldier but after his uncle died without heirs, his father, Robert, inherited the title and his life was laid out before him. 

When his father Robert died in 1979, he became the sixth Duke of Westminster aged just 27. 

He succeeded his father to become chairman of Grosvenor Holdings, the commercial arm of the Grosvenor Estate, and dedicated himself to using his wealth responsibly. 

Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra arrive ahead of the Duke of Kent at the memorial service in Chester Cathedral

Dressed in a black dress, coat and heeled court shoes, the Duchess of Cambridge looked sombre as she joined William

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall outside Chester Cathedral ahead of the memorial service on Monday afternoon

Prince Charles waves to waiting crowds as he arrives at the cathedral. Right, the seventh Duke of Westminster

Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, arrives at the service with his sister Lady Viola, pictured in green (right)

He was passionate about helping those less fortunate than him, working for many years with young offenders and drug abusers as well as campaigning on rural issues. During the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak he donated £500,000 to farmers affected by the crisis. 

The Westminster Foundation, which manages the estate's charitable giving, has donated to more than 1,500 charitable organisations since 1974, and the Duke was also president of the RNIB for 25 years and president of the St John Ambulance for 10 years.

The Duke was President of disability charity Scope until 2006 and remained a passionate supporter of the cause. 

The Duke's military experience is said to have been reflected in his approach to the Grosvenor Estate where his loyalty to staff - whether a senior executive or a young gamekeeper - was described as unprecedented. 

He would present long-service awards, go to retirement parties and regularly have lunch with small groups of staff.  

Dozens of guests arrive for the memorial service at the Duke of Westminster at Chester Cathedral today

Armed Welsh police officers stand guard outside the cathedral as hundreds of guests arrive for the memorial service today

The sixth Duke of Westminster, left, with William, Harry the Queen and Prince Philip at Lady Tamara Grosvenor's wedding