A billionaire young duke once dubbed Britain’s most eligible bachelor is getting married next year with the King, Queen, Prince William and Princess Kate all invited – but not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The society wedding of 2024 looks set to be a grand affair after Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, became engaged to Olivia Henson, 30, in April this year.
The Duke, 32, is understood to be a “lifelong friend” of Prince Harry but when it comes to wedding invites the Sussexes have apparently been snubbed for the occasion at Chester Cathedral on June 7. It is thought Prince William could be the best man.
According to the Times, the reason for the Californian royals being excluded from the day is to avoid any “clashes” with the House of Windsor.
No one likes to see a wedding bust-up amongst the guests and it seems the feeling has extended to the Royal Family after relations reportedly soured in recent months after Prince Harry released his memoir Spare and he and his wife Meghan starred in a Netflix documentary.
Reputed friend of the Sussexes and royal author Omid Scobie has quoted numerous sources making claims about the Royal Family in his latest book Endgame.
The work is itself a follow up to another royal revelations tome, Finding Freedom, a book about Meghan and Harry leaving the Firm, which was co-authored by Scobie.
The Times reports the Sussexes had originally planned to attend the wedding and that they were originally going to be invited, however, the paper said it was thought an appearance could risk “overshadowing” the day and causing “tension” for King Charles and Camilla, as well as William and Kate.
The newspaper quoted a friend of both William and Harry saying: “It’s incredibly sad it has come to this. Hugh is one of very few close friends of William and Harry’s who has maintained strong bonds and a line of communication with both.
“He wishes they could put their heads together and patch things up, but realises it’s unlikely to happen before the wedding. He wanted to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia, and doesn’t want any awkwardness.”
A spokesman for Grosvenor said: “We are not in a position to comment on the guest list.”
Omid Scobie’s book Endgame, released on Tuesday, makes a series of observations and claims from sources about the Royal Family including calling the Princess of Wales “cold”, as well as asserting the future of the monarchy is “in a crisis” and it is in a “fight for survival”.
