So have you met Britain’s most eligible aristocrats?

The new Duke of Westminster has jumped to the top of the potential husband charts. But who are his (admittedly, less rich) rivals? By Harry Mount

With the death of the Duke of Westminster, his son, Hugh Grosvenor, has leapfrogged to the top of the list of Britain’s most eligible bachelors. Thanks to the ancient aristocratic tradition of primogeniture, the new 25-year-old duke inherits his father’s £9 billion fortune ahead of his two older sisters, and becomes the 68th richest person in the world.

A quiet figure, the young duke has barely bothered the gossip columns as an accounts manager at Bio-bean, a company that recycles used coffee grounds and turns them into biofuel pellets. His life will not be so quiet now, not least because he will be in much demand from aspiring wives, and auditioning mothers-in-law, across the land.

But who are Britain’s other giltedged bachelors – and how best to bag them?

1 Prince Harry He may only be a prince, but at 31 and fifth in line to the throne, he has a royal flush of golden attributes: Army hero, Invictus Games dynamo and all-round action man, Prince Harry sets hearts aflutter across polo fields and subterranean Mayfair nightclubs. This week, his late mother’s former bodyguard suggested he had all the hallmarks of a “remarkable” king.

Ex factor: Harry has officially entered the friend zone with his high-profile exes Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas. However, earlier this year he admitted that, when it comes to women, he has a “massive paranoia that sits inside me”.

Meet the family: You’ll know all about The Firm, as his mother called her in-laws. Keep an eye on Aunt Fergie, an utter sweetie, but best not to emulate her approach to marrying the spare-to-the-heir.

Current account: Estimated to be worth around £30 million, thanks to money from his mother’s estate, topped up by the Duchy of Cornwall.

How to bag him: Like his ancestor, Henry V, Harry has put his roistering Prince Hal days well behind him. He is more likely to be found these days saving endangered rhinos than in Spearmint Rhino. Do talk about his charity work; don’t talk about Flaming Lamborghinis.

2 The Marquess of Blandford When George Blandford, 24, one day becomes the 13th Duke of Marlborough, he will inherit Britain’s greatest stately home, Blenheim Palace, set in 2,000 acres of Oxfordshire. He has brains, too: the Old Harrovian has a degree in urbanisation from University College London.

Ex factor: Better get in there quick, ladies. George has recently been squiring Camilla Thorp, an uber-blonde six years his senior.

Meet the family: His father, the 12th Duke, served time for driving convictions and prescription forgery. His mother, Becky Few Brown, once posed for Tatler in stockings and a camisole, and landed the unkind monicker, “Becky Few Brains”. In short, they’re a riot. Current account: Blenheim and its treasures are said to be worth £183 million. How to bag him: At least pretend you’re interested in horses. George is devoted to polo and can be found at leading tournaments across the country. If, like the Duchess of Cambridge, you’re allergic to all things equine, then work on your “divot-stomping” – when really dedicated polo Wags selflessly flatten disturbed turf between chukkas.

3 The Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford Charles Bowmont, 35, will become the Duke of Roxburghe and inherit Floors Castle in Roxburghshire and 50,000 acres in the Scottish Borders. Ex factor: Scottish hearts were broken when George married Charlotte Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook’s daughter, in 2011. A year later, they split. Meet the family: George is first cousin to the new Duke of Westminster. Find a fellow gold-diggeress and suggest a double date. Current account: The Roxburghe estate is worth £125 million. How to bag him: Sell your motor now and sign up to Charles’s elite car service, Capstar Chauffeurs.

4 The Marquess of Bristol Fred Bristol, 36, is that most poignant of things — a marquess without a country house. His half-brother, the 7th Marquess, blew the family estate, Ickworth House in Suffolk, on drugs, fastliving and fast dying at only 44. Fred has none of the reproachable Bristol genes and, after Eton and Edinburgh University, has devoted himself to business, running a property fund in Estonia for seven years. Ex factor: No scary exes to deal with here. Meet the family: Fred’s sisters were the ultimate It girls – Lady Victoria Hervey, 39, and Lady Isabella Hervey, 34. Current account: Fred’s half-brother lost the family’s £35 million fortune, but Fred is doing his best to refill the coffers. How to bag him: Hang around rural Suffolk. Fred keenly feels the loss of the family pile and yearns to return. Give the impression you yearn for East Anglia, too.

5 Lord Mostyn Gregory Mostyn, 31, is one of the richest men in Wales. His 6,000-acre estate includes Mostyn Hall, a chunk of Llandudno and much of Flintshire.

Ex factor: Gregory has been too busy taking over the estate to chalk up any serious exes.

Meet the family: Gregory’s father, Llewellyn, was a barrister. And Gregory’s great-great-great grandmother, Lady Augusta Mostyn, founded the Mostyn Art Gallery in 1902.

Current account: The Mostyn estate is worth £48 million.

How to bag him: For all his Welsh connections, Gregory is usually in London, where he studied for an MA in property development at the Cass Business School. Pretend you’re interested in football and the Far East – he is a huge Arsenal fan and speaks fluent Japanese.

6 Lord Downpatrick Edward Downpatrick, 27, is that rare bird: a cerebral member of the Royal family. The financial analyst son of the Earl of St Andrews, and grandson of the Duke of Kent, Edward went to Eton and Keble College, Oxford, where he read modern languages, specialising in French and German.

Ex factor: Edward did his fair share of high living as president of the infamous Bullingdon Club when he was at Oxford. But, as a Catholic convert, he is now a serious young man, with no notable exes standing in your way.

Meet the family: Edward is a godson of Princess Diana. His sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, is The Firm’s latest It lady. Don’t expect to get too close to the throne, though. Because Edward’s a Catholic, he’s out of the running for the top job.

Current account: No royal fortune here. Dad is a former diplomat; Mum’s a don; the Duke of Kent, a retired soldier, is no gazillionaire. Still, gallons of blue blood.

How to bag him: Beneath the dreaming spires of Cambridge, where he was brought up. His mother, the Countess of St Andrews, is a Fellow of St John’s College.