Prince Harry has agreed to stay away from the wedding of one of his closest friends for fear of his feud with his brother William overshadowing the event, it is claimed.
A phone call from Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, saw the Duke of Sussex invited to his nuptials with fiancée Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on Friday.
The event is set to be the high society wedding of the year, and there had been much speculation as to which of Harry and William would receive an invitation given the brothers’ ongoing estrangement.
However, it has been claimed that Harry will not be there after the California-based royal reached a ‘civilised understanding’ with Hugh to bow out of attending, The Times reports.
It means that the Prince of Wales is free to be an usher for Hugh, who has been friends with the pair since childhood, avoiding the potentially awkward situation of having to show Harry to his seat during the ceremony.
William will have Prince George – who is Hugh’s godson, as is Harry’s eldest child Prince Archie – alongside him, with reports suggesting the 10-year-old is set to play a prominent role in the wedding.
It was claimed that month that Harry – who at one point had been earmarked as Hugh’s best man – was unhappy that his brother was due to be given the key role.
A well-informed source told The Mail on Sunday last month: ‘William was asked to have a prominent role in the wedding and that’s what triggered Harry to decline an invitation.
‘Apparently he [Harry] was put out by the request when he thought it should have been him.’
Last year, it was claimed that Harry had been ‘snubbed’ from the wedding, but a source close to the Sussexes was at pains to explain to US publication Page Six that both Meghan and Harry had in fact received invitations, but had jointly decided to decline.
Despite the awkwardness surrounding his wedding, Hugh – who is normally publicity-shy – remains good friends with both Harry and William and he could link up with his California-based friend if he fulfils his goal of representing Great Britain in clay pigeon shooting at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Hugh, known as ‘Hughie’ to his friends, is one of Britain’s wealthiest landowners after inheriting his father’s £10billion estate at the age of just 25 in 2016 following the death of his 64-year-old father from a heart attack.
Once dubbed Britain’s most eligible bachelor, he was introduced to Olivia by mutual acquaintances in 2021 before announcing their engagement in April last year.
A total of 400 people have been invited to the Cathedral ceremony which will be followed by a reception at Hugh’s 11,000-acre Eaton Hall estate, with the duke said to be ‘nervous’ but also ‘incredibly excited’ ahead of the big day.
The Times reports that among the those expected to be in attendance are members of the Van Cutsem family, who are close to the Windsors, and linked to the Grosvenors by marriage – Hugh’s sister Lady Tamara wedded Edward van Cutsem in the same venue in 2004.
Other attendees will include Lady Zoe Warren, the aristocratic yoga guru and youngest child of the 14th Earl of Galloway, and her husband, Jake Warren, a godson of Princess Diana and son of Queen Elizabeth II’s racing manager, John Warren.
Aside from William and George, it appears that royals will be few and far between, with the Princess of Wales, as well as King Charles and Queen Camilla not expected to attend.
William’s wife Princess Catherine will stay away as she continues her own recovery from chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer following major abdominal surgery earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Charles – who is Hugh’s godfather – is still recovering from cancer treatment and will have travelled across the Channel to France to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings less than 24 hours before the wedding takes place.
There city of Chester itself is expected to see thousands of people flock into its walls to witness the occasion in scenes reminiscent of his sister’s wedding, where an estimated 4,000 people lined the streets.
Those who come this time around will be able to treat themselves – the duke has reportedly paid three independent business to give out free ice cream on the day of the wedding.