Prince William attended the wedding of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, to Olivia Henson, without his wife Kate Middleton nor his father King Charles – and Prince Harry did not attend.
Prince Harry harboured two main fears over attending the society wedding of the year alongside his brother Prince William.
That’s according to a royal expert and former employee of King Charles, who spoke out after William attended the lavish wedding of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, to Olivia Henson, without his father, Charles, or his wife, Kate, on Friday.
Former butler to King Charles, Grant Harrold, spoke to OK! magazine.
Mr Harrold said: “I’m sure [Harry] would have wanted to attend. But Harry and William shared friends and they have likely been drawn into this dispute. Plus, he may have worried that the rift with William would pull focus from the wedding.”
He added: “It will be hard for William to attend the wedding without Kate as I’m sure they planned to go together. They’re such a partnership and he’s his best self when she’s by his side.”
Meanwhile, King Charles is reportedly “devastated” he had to miss the Duke’s wedding, despite his eldest son and several close friends and family being in attendance. The lavish affair has been dubbed as the ‘society event of the year’.
The Duke, who counts Prince George and Archie Sussex among his godsons, married Olivia Henson in what was termed as a Royal affair. Despite the Duke’s close ties with the Royal family, King Charles wasn’t expected at the wedding due to his ongoing health concerns.
Mr Harrold reminisced about the close bond between the families, saying: “The Duke of Westminster’s late father was Charles’ best friend. I witnessed the two families together when I worked with Charles and they are so close”.
King Charles’ ongoing cancer treatments have understandably taken precedence over such engagements. Mr Grand added: “Charles has a special bond with the Duke of Westminster too but if he’s been forced to miss the wedding due to a packed schedule and his ongoing treatment, that will be a bitter pill to swallow and he’ll be devastated.”
Praising Charles for his dedication, Harrold added: “He’d commit to a full work schedule if he could and hates to let people down.”
Given the tight-knit relationship between them, it is believed that the Duke may have asked Charles not to exert himself by attending the wedding, particularly considering Charles had made a trip to Normandy on June 6 to mark the anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Cancer has cast a shadow not only over Charles but also over Prince William and Princess Catherine, who has been battling her own harrowing diagnosis this year. Everyone close to King Charles is hoping for his swift recovery so he can resume his Royal duties and family life.
