Prince Harry is living ‘a wonderful life’ and one ‘he’s always wanted to live’, a royal commentator says.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ‘very content’ with life in California, a source says (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are “very content” with life in California, but the society wedding of the year will bring home to the Duke of Sussex what he has “given up”, a royal commentator has said. Katie Nicholl was commenting ahead of the Duke of Westminster’s wedding at Chester Cathedral.
Hugh Grosvenor is pals with Harry and Prince William, with the Prince of Wales tipped to take on the role of best man or usher when the Duke of Westminster marries Olivia Henson on Friday (June 7).
But the Duke of Sussex is not expected to attend the couple’s big day, with claims suggesting Harry decided against going after acknowledging the difficulties his being at the ceremony with his estranged brother William might cause.
Ms Nicholl, during a discussion on the podcast Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, said: “It’s got to be moments like this where it will hit home to Harry just what he’s given up, what he misses.”
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Hugh Grosvenor is pals with Prince Harry and Prince William (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry is not expected to attend the Duke of Westminster’s wedding (Image: Getty)
The royal commentator said she had spoken to a contact who had spent time with the Sussexes recently, who she claimed had told her Harry is “really happy”, with both he and Meghan “very content and tight as a family unit”.
Citing her source, Ms Nicholl added: “Harry’s living a wonderful life and a life he’s always wanted to live. And I thought that’s really wonderful to hear – really pleased to hear that – but I’m sure there must be moments like this when he would have just got on a plane, with or without Meghan, and come over for a big society wedding like this, if he and his brother were actually on talking terms.”
Relations between the siblings have been strained for years, with the brothers believed to have disagreed over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s future outside the Royal Family and claims made in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series against William.
Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals in 2020 and moved to the US shortly after. They now live in Montecito with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who celebrated her third birthday on Tuesday (June 4).
Ms Nicholl went on to say that the royal siblings’ wider friendship circle has been affected by the rift between the Duke of Sussex and Prince of Wales.
Prince Harry’s ‘living a wonderful life and a life he’s always wanted to live’ (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry would have jetted over for a big society wedding ‘with or without Meghan Markle’ (Image: Getty)
She said: “I’m sure there are split loyalties and when it comes to Hugh Grosvenor… when it comes to that loyalty factor, who does he want at his wedding? He wants William. He wants the future king. And that’s the decision he’s made.”
Besides Prince William, sources have suggested Prince George will be at the wedding and possibly take on a role. Grosvenor is one of George’s godfathers along with Oliver Baker, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton and William van Cutsem.
There has been speculation King Charles may also attend, given the monarch being a godfather to the Duke of Westminster.
Ms Nicholl said: “The Grosvenors and the royals go back many, many decades. I would be surprised, given that Charles is a godfather to the groom, if Charles wasn’t there.”
She noted, however, that with Trooping the Colour and Royal Ascot coming up, Charles may not attend, given his cancer diagnosis.
