The “real” reason why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not on the list of the Duke of Westminster’s wedding has been revealed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly been left off the guest list for the nuptials of Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson, 32 — despite Grosvenor being close to both Harry, 39, and his estranged brother Prince William, 41.
The wedding is set to take place on June 7, at Chester Cathedral, in northwest England.
A friend of the family told Daily Mail: “Hugh knows how sensitive wedding invitations can be.”
According to the Sunday Times, Prince William and Princess Kate, as well as King Charles and Queen Camilla will be at the service.
However, Grosvenor, 30, — who is a godparent to William and Kate’s son Prince George, 10 — has reluctantly made the decision not to invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex because he reportedly wants to avoid a family clash amid the rift between the royal brothers.
A friend of William and Harry’s told the Sunday Times: “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.”
It has been reported that the Duke, Hugh Grosvenor, was “very conscious” of the tensions surrounding the wedding of his sister Lady Tamara Grosvenor and Edward van Cutsem at Chester Cathedral in 2004 and did not want anything similar at his own.
Reporting at the time The Daily Mail wrote how Camilla Parker Bowles was invited to Tamara Grosvenor’s wedding but was told that she would not be permitted to sit with Prince Charles and would have to sit several rows back.
She would also have to arrive separately. This was because Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were due to attend the ceremony.
A Buckingham Palace courtier was quoted as saying at the time: “It may provoke comment on the day, but Her Majesty will also be attending and she is a stickler for protocol.
Hugh Grosvenor, 32, is so close to Harry that he is reportedly godfather to his son, Prince Archie.
He has an estimated fortune of £10billion, is the King’s godson and had an official role at the coronation in May.
