Prince Harry rejected invitation to Duke of Westminster’s wedding because…

Although both princes received the invite to the high-society wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster, only the eldest showed up

Hugh Grosvenor is no longer “Britain’s most eligible bachelor,” as the 33-year-old married Olivia Henson Friday, June 7. The newlyweds tied the knot in front of nearly 400 people at Chester Cathedral. Dubbed the “society wedding of the year,” the opulent event was attended by Prince William. Although the Duke of Westminster is friends with both the Prince of Wales and his brother, Prince Harry rejected the invite amid the duo’s ongoing rift. Prince Harry skipped Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson’s wedding while Prince William served as an usher

Why did Prince Harry skip Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson’s wedding?

Although both princes received the invite to the high-society wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster, only the eldest showed up, who served as an usher. The Prince of Wales was also joined by his cousin Princess Eugenie. However, the Duke of Sussex reportedly stayed away over fears of his fallout with Prince William overshadowing his friend’s wedding.

Last week, a source told People that though Prince Harry received an invite, there was “an understanding between the two friends” over his decision to opt out. It would be especially difficult for him to stay in the UK as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were recently evicted from Frogmore Cottage. The source added that Prince Harry sends “his love and support and admiration for the couple” on their wedding.

Grosvenor, Britain’s youngest billionaire, is close to both Princes and is among the very few people who have remained in contact with them through the years leading up to their feud. Another source said, “Hughie did the right thing inviting both brothers while Harry did the diplomatic thing and politely declined saying there were no hard feelings.”

In addition to being the godson of King Charles, the Duke of Westminster is also the godfather to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s eldest son, Prince George, 10, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Prince Archie, 5. “It would have been terribly awkward if he [Prince Harry] had said yes because of the situation with William,” the source added, per Vanity Fair.

Meghan Markle’s ‘A-list pals are dropping like flies’ as ‘circle getting smaller’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ‘circle is getting smaller and smaller’ with their A-list pals ‘dropping like flies’, according to former royal butler Paul Burrell.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Image: Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Meghan Markle’s social circle appears to be dwindling, according to a former royal butler.

Paul Burrell has suggested that the ex-Suits actress is seeing her group of A-list friends thinning out, with some “dropping like flies”.

This revelation emerges as Meghan and Prince Harry were notably absent from what was dubbed the “social event of the year” Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster’s wedding. The event was graced by numerous celebrities, including Prince William.

Burrell, who once served Princess Diana, divulged to Closer!: “Harry and Meghan’s circle is getting smaller and smaller. I think the A-list stars are dropping like flies. Some already have done – Oprah no longer seems involved with them and some other celebrities have also dropped them.”

He continued: “Back in the day, the A-listers were riding on the moment – Harry and Meghan were the most popular couple in the country at one time, when they got married, but there’s since been a decline.”

Further, Burrell claimed that Americans are beginning to see the Sussexes more as a “side show”, with reports suggesting that high-profile couples like George and Amal Clooney, and Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, have declined recent invitations from them. This follows rumours that David and Victoria Beckham received a cold shoulder from Meghan.

Despite the swirling rumours, it’s believed that Meghan has cultivated a tight-knit circle of celebrity friends, including actresses, fashion designers, stylists, pilates buddies and polo players’ wives. When she unveiled her inaugural product from her American Riviera Orchard brand, the Duchess was met with an outpouring of support from numerous high-profile figures who promoted the product on their social media platforms.

Those lucky enough to receive the limited edition samples of her jam proudly displayed the petite jars, complete with handwritten labels showcasing the American Riviera Orchard logo and ‘Montecito’ inscribed beneath, as well as the unique numbering indicating which jar it is out of 50, suggesting the batch of jam is a boutique production run.

Prince Harry set for outpouring of ‘sympathy’ after tragic UK situation

Prince Harry can now appeal the case he lost against the Home Office over his security and a royal expert believes he will have the support of the British public .

Princess Diana’s bodyguard talks about Prince Harry’s security

Prince Harry is set to get “sympathy” from the British public over his current predicament involving his legal battle about his security in the UK, a royal expert has claimed.

The Duke of Sussex was recently given the green light to appeal the case he lost in the High Court against the Home Office over his UK security.

He was told he could appeal the verdict at the Court of Appeal, according to an order from Lord Justice Bean dated May 23 2024.

It came after Harry took legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision that he should receive a different degree of protection when he returned to the UK after he quit his royal duties.

But he lost the case back in February with High Court judge Sir Peter Lane finding that “there has not been any unlawfulness in reaching the decision” to revise his security.

Prince Harry could appeal the case he lost in the High Court (Image: Getty)
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He added: “Any departure from the policy was justified. The decision was not irrational. The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.”

In his 52-page ruling, Sir Peter argued that lawyers representing the Duke of Sussex had made “an inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the Ravec process” during the High Court case.

Now a royal expert suggested Harry might get sympathy from the public over his predicament.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Mirror: “His attempt to pay personally for extra police protection, has the obvious disadvantage that it would create a two-tier system and, as expected, failed in court.

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Prince Harry took legal action against the Home Office over his security in the UK (Image: Getty

“However, he is haunted by what happened to his mother and there is a threat by far-right extremists to him and his family.

“The granting of full taxpayer-funded protection for those who are not full-time working royals is likely to be difficult to obtain, but in his particular case, there will be some sympathy for what he sees as his predicament.”

Mr Fitzwilliams added: “It may well be that it is ruled that he and his family could be included in the ‘Other VIP Category’, but the legal costs of his appeal will be substantial. Threat by far-right extremists and terrorists too.”

 

Suits’ Gabriel Macht breaks silence on Meghan Markle’s potential return to show

A former co-star of the Duchess who worked alongside her on the show has broken his silence on a potential return.

Meghan Markle’s former Suits co-star has lifted the lid on his thoughts of her returning to the show

Suits actor Gabriel Macht has shared his thoughts on Meghan Markle making a potential return to the legal drama, with him seemingly swerving the Duchess in the process.

Meghan shot to fame as an actress before she married Prince Harry back in 2018.

The Duchess of Sussex played Rachel Zane in the hit legal drama Suits for seven seasons from 2011 until 2018.

When she tied the knot with Prince Harry, Meghan confirmed she was retiring from acting. At the time she said she was quitting acting so that she could focus on her new duties as a working member of the Royal Family, but then in 2020, she and Harry decided to step down as senior working royals.

Since the couple relocated to the US and the Sussexes slowly easing themselves back into the public eye, rumours have been circulating that the duchess could possibly return to acting, with many speculating she could even reprise her role as Rachel Zane at some point, writes The Mirror.

And now, a former co-star of the duchess who worked alongside her on the show has broken his silence on a potential return.

He starred alongside Meghan Markle in Suits (Image: Frank Ockenfels/Dutch Oven/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Gabriel Macht, who played Harvey Specter in the series, spoke exclusively to our sister paper The Mirror ahead of the Golden Globes last night.

Speaking on the red carpet, Gabriel was asked how much money does he think it would take to bring Meghan back. Swerving the Duchess and the possibility of her return, Gabriel responded: “I think the question is how much money would it take to bring me back…”

In the drama, Gabriel played the role of Harvey Reginald Specter, a former corporate attorney and the husband of Donna Paulsen. In season two, Gabriel’s character was forced to go head to head with Robert Zane, father of paralegal Rachel Zane, on a gender discrimination case.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘last friends’ in Royal Family now backing Prince William

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were long-time friends of Prince Harry, but were recently spotted supporting his brother.

Prince Harry and Meghan have reportedly lost their last link to the Royal Family (Image: Getty)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s “last friends” in the Royal Family have been spotted “supporting” Prince William, having reportedly “turned their backs” on the Sussexes.

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice have been long-time friends of Harry, with Eugenie even visiting the Duke and Duchess at their US home in 2022.

However, the York sisters were recently spotted at a Buckingham Palace garden party supporting Prince William, while he continued with royal duties as his wife, Princess Kate recovers from cancer treatment.

Writing to her 1.8 million Instagram followers, Eugenie said: “Come rain or shine, I was delighted to support my family yesterday.”

Eugenie, 34, and older sister Beatrice, 35, have increased their royal duties since the King was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, reports Woman’s Day.

An insider told the publication: “Bea and Eugenie can’t imagine what William is going through right now, and it was an honour for them to give him some support.

“The York sisters were determined not to let him down.”

The palace insider told the publication the pair are “overjoyed” to be taking a more prominent role in the family, and that Beatrice has been considered “flawless” of late.

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie recently attending a Buckingham Palace garden party (Image: Getty)

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However, they claimed Eugenie was on an “unofficial blacklist” after hosting Harry and Meghan at her Portugal home last year.

The insider added: “But that was last year and she’s worked hard to prove her commitment to the royals. She didn’t reach out to Harry when she was in LA in February.

“This confirmed his worst fears that his last line to his family was over.”

The source claimed neither Eugenie or Beatrice had contacted Harry this year, stating “everyone’s focus is on getting Kate and William through this crisis”.

While reports say William is not a fan of King Charles’s “slimmed-down monarchy”, the insider claims he sees Eugenie and Beatrice as “assets” to the family.

They said it “makes sense” to bring the pair back into the fold under the current circumstances.

 

Prince Harry’s 4-word admission shows how he really feels about US life with Meghan Markle

Prince Harry must harbour private thoughts about his life in America with Meghan Markle, claims a royal podcast host.

A royal podcast host claims Harry’s private thoughts show he’s (Image: Getty)

Following their departure from royal duties, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry eventually relocated to California to seek a different life away from the Royal Family with their two children, but it is claimed Prince Harry is harbouring thoughts about his new lifestyle.

Speaking on Sky News Australia, royal commentator and podcast host, Kinsey Schofield, issued four poignant words Prince Harry may be thinking about his new life having “given up a lot” in relation to his role growing up as a Prince.

Discussing the recent D-Day commemorations attended by King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William, the podcast host explained the Firm would have been mingling with powerful global leaders for such an important event. Kinsey said: “I’m sure he sits back and thinks ‘I’ve given up a lot and now I’m chasing Netflix money’.”

In agreement, the TV host Rita Panahi reflected on the couple’s current position being “a long way from the standing they once had”.

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Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 (Image: Getty)

However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly facing difficulties securing invitations to high-profile events in the United States that they are longing to attend.

As reported in the Mirror, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: “The challenge for Harry and Meghan is to attend comparable events in the United States which are not focused on them.”

He added: “The Met Gala and the Oscars are the sort of events they would benefit from being seen at, since they have pretensions to be A-listers. Barack Obama’s 60th, held in 2021, the year they were in Time Magazine’s Top 100, is the sort of event they would undoubtedly want to be seen at but were not invited to.”

Last week, the Sussexes also missed out on the high-profile wedding of Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson. The Duke of Westminster is a close childhood friend of both Prince Harry and Prince William. The Montecito-based couple reportedly declined the invitation to attend so as not to take attention away from the couple’s big day.

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Harry and Meghan are reportedly facing difficulties securing invitations to big events (Image: Getty)

Podcast host, Kinsey, also explained Harry and Meghan’s attempt to associate with high-profile individuals. She said: “They [Harry and Meghan] try to align themselves with people like Governor Gavin Newsom [California’s Governor], Stacey Abrams, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former First Lady Hilary Clinton. They go out of their way to associate themselves with some of these people.”

Amidst swirling rumours, there’s also talk that Harry and Meghan’s five-year agreement with the streaming giant, Netflix, set for renewal in 2024, might be axed.

A royal commentator has sounded the alarm over the duo’s potential repeat of a past blunder that once left them red-faced on the global stage. Tom Quinn said: “It’s very likely to be a repeat of the problem with the couple’s Spotify contract which came to an abrupt end in 2023 after Harry and Meghan failed, according to a Spotify spokesperson, to meet ‘productivity benchmarks’.”

In 2020, Harry and Meghan secured an impressive £100 million deal with Netflix, shortly after announcing their decision to step back from their roles as senior working royals. The couple are said to be working hard on two separate shows which focus on cooking and lifestyle, and the sporting world of polo, but titles for the shows are yet to be released.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s family face ‘far-right extremist and terror threat’ in UK

Prince Harry has been granted permission to appeal a High Court decision regarding the level of security he and Meghan Markle’s family are entitled to in the UK

Archie hitches a ride on his dad Prince Harry’s shoulders (Image: Netflix)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s family faces the threat of “far right extremists and terrorists” in the UK, which could garner public sympathy amid his security struggles, a Royal commentator has suggested.

The Duke of Sussex has recently won the right to challenge the High Court’s ruling on the level of protection he and his family should be afforded while in Britain, a decision that is made on a case-by-case basis. His legal team confirmed that Harry has been granted permission to appeal, leading the Court of Appeal to schedule a hearing for his case.

This move comes after the Home Office stripped him of his automatic personal police security upon his return to the UK in February 2020.

Before opting out of Royal duties and moving to California with Meghan Markle in March 2020, Harry enjoyed the same full publicly-funded security as other senior members of the Royal Family. Nonetheless, after stepping down, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) concluded in April that Harry would no longer receive the same level of security as before.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams highlighted the serious threats Harry and his family face when they are in the UK. He believes that not only does it mean there is a possibility that Harry see a favourable outcome in his ongoing legal fight for protection, but he might also find empathy from the British public.

No leadtext (Image: No credit)

Mr Fitzwilliams told the Mirror: “His attempt to pay personally for extra police protection, has the obvious disadvantage that it would create a two-tier system and, as expected, failed in court. However, he is haunted by what happened to his mother and there is a threat by far-right extremists to him and his family. The granting of full taxpayer-funded protection for those who are not full-time working royals is likely to be difficult to obtain, but in his particular case, there will be some sympathy for what he sees as his predicament.”

He added: “It may well be that it is ruled that he and his family could be included in the ‘Other VIP Category’, but the legal costs of his appeal will be substantial. Threat by far-right extremists and terrorists too.”

No leadtext (Image: No credit)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have been at the centre of Royal controversy since their dramatic exit from frontline Royal duties in 2020 and subsequent relocation to the United States.

Their candid revelations, especially during an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, their revealing Netflix docu-series in 2022, and the much-anticipated release of Harry’s memoir in 2023, have only intensified the rift with the Royal Family, casting a long shadow over their relationship with the monarchy.

Royal writer and expert Tom Quinn previously said: “Over the years that Harry has complained about his treatment by his family he has had just one aim – to get an apology and to see his father and brother make amends. Harry just can’t see that complaining in private might work; complaining publicly just makes things worse and in Harry’s case that means more and more ties to his past being severed.”

Meghan Markle’s awkward joke to Kate met with ‘yawning silence’ at Trooping the Colour

After Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, first joined the royals for Trooping the Colour she made a lighthearted joke to Princess Kate, but according to Prince Harry, it didn’t quite land

Trooping the Colour, or the King’s Birthday Parade, is one of the biggest events of the Royal Family’s calendar, and will mark the House of Windsor putting their best forward during one of their most challenging years in decades.

Both Kate and King Charles are currently being treated for cancer, and while the monarch’s medical team has cleared him to attend, Kensington Palace have not confirmed whether his daughter-in-law Kate will be in attendance.

The Princess of Wales has been out of the spotlight as she focusses on her recovery, but there are two other familiar faces that definitely won’t be present on the Buckingham Palace flypast: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Despite being regular attendees before they moved across the Atlantic, as non-working royals, the Sussexes won’t attend the ceremonial day of pomp and pageantry.

During the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, however, the couple did attend despite their new status, although they did not make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony when the rest of the royals watched the RAF flypast and waved to the crowds below.

However, when Meghan made her balcony debut back when she first joined the Royal Family, things were a little awkward behind closed doors, as Prince Harry revealed in his bestselling memoir Spare.

Harry and Meghan on the balcony with Charles at Trooping in 2018 ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
The incident occurred back in 2018, only a few weeks after Harry and Meghan had tied the knot at a star-studded ceremony in Windsor. Once the royals had gone back inside Buckingham Palace after the flypast was complete, Harry claimed, Meghan tried to crack a joke with Kate but it didn’t quite get the expected reaction, instead leading to an awkward, “yawning silence”.

At that year’s event, Meghan stunned in a baby pink dress and matching hat, standing proudly next to her new husband who was dressed in his military uniform.

And while Meghan was seen chatting with Kate, William, and Camilla, Harry claims things were far more tesnse behind the scenes.

Harry writes in Spare that once they stepped back inside, Kate asked Meghan what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour and she replied: “Colourful”. While Meghan’s answer to Kate was simply a lighthearted quip, it didn’t get a very positive reaction, with Harry writing: “A yawning silence threatened to swallow us all whole”.

Harry detailed the awkard Trooping moment in his book Spare ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
The Prince used his book to share his version of the fallouts and tensions between Meghan and his family in the lead-up to the wedding, which likely contributed to the awkward feelings at Trooping the Colour that year.

He accuses Kate and William of “stereotyping” his wife, saying their behaviour created a barrier. He also alleges that his brother described her as “difficult”.

The Duke also details a row between Kate and Meghan at a bridesmaid dress fitting in the lead-up to the wedding and said Kate grimaced when Meghan asked to borrow lip gloss at an event.

Relations between the two couples seem yet to thaw, with William and Kate not seeing Harry during his last visit to the UK where he was celebrating 10 years of the Invictus Games.

However, after news of Kate’s health challenges was made public, it was reported that Harry and Meghan had privately “reached out” to William and Kate, and they also released a statement of public support for Kate and backed her appeals for privacy as she undergoes cancer treatment. “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” the couple’s statement said.

A version of this story was originally published in 2023.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘had secret UK home worth £2.5m’ they ‘gave up’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly had a secret UK home worth £2.5m, with the couple residing in this lavish farmhouse while Frogmore Cottage was renovated for them

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a home in the United Kingdom which was worth £2.5m – but the couple had to give it up, reports suggest.

According to reports, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a two-year lease on a property in the Cotswolds. Harry and Meghan are believed to have signed the lease shortly before they walked down the aisle in May 2018.

After the Sussexes got wed, the couple moved into Frogmore Cottage after renovating the property in Windsor. But while the Sussexes waited for renovations to be carried out and completed, they are said to have resided in the Oxfordshire property, which was estimated to be worth more than £2.5m in 2018.

The Sussexes stepped back from their senior roles as working royals in 2020 ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
The Grade II-listed house comprises of three primary structures, with those being the main farmhouse, a separate two-bedroom cottage for staff and guests, and a converted barn that boasts not one but two kitchens, one on each of its two floors. Meanwhile, the main farmhouse consists of four bedrooms.

A friend of the couple previously said that the Sussexes “loved walking the dogs there and entertaining their friends in complete solitude” at the Oxfordshire home, with them reported to have entertained the likes of George and Amal Clooney while residing there.

Prince Harry and Meghan were evicted from Frogmore Cottage last summer. The pair departed their Windsor home and England as a whole in 2020 when they stepped down from their senior roles as working royals and moved across the pond to America.

Harry wrote in his memoir of Frogmore: “Once upon a time, this was going to be my forever home. Instead, it had proved to be just another brief stop.”

Following the publication of his bombshell memoir, the Sussexes were told to depart the cottage for good – meaning they would no longer have any residence in the UK. At the time, a representative confirmed: “We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”

Speaking exclusively to The Mirror earlier this year, royal biographer Tom Quinn said: “Harry was absolutely furious and in tears about being evicted from Frogmore he felt his father had no right to do it and that it was purely vindictive.

“Harry couldn’t see that choosing to stop being a working royal would inevitably mean being deprived of his royal residence.”

Despite reports that Harry wants to rebuild bridges with the Royal Family, there is little sign of William allowing that to happen – not in the immediate term.

The distance between the two is all the sadder given how close the two princes, united in adversity, had once been.

Yet as royal biographer Robert Lacey points out, if there is now a chasm between the brothers, it’s not the first time that William and Harry have fallen out.

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Prince William and Prince Harry were ushers at Tamara Grosvenor’s 2004 wedding at Chester Cathedral

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Looking sombre at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee

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Prince Harry and friend Guy Pelly watch England play France at Twickenham

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Prince Harry found himself on the front pages after it was discovered he had been smoking cannabis

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Princes William and Harry at Cirencester Park Polo Club. They had played In the winning Highgrove team for the King Constantine Trophy

The fissures were visible much earlier, in fact – as far back as 2002.

That’s the year it was discovered that Harry had been smoking cannabis, a revelation generating excruciating ‘drug shame’ headlines.

There was further humiliation for Harry three years later when he was pictured wearing a Nazi desert uniform to a Colonials and Natives fancy dress party held at the home of Olympic gold-medal winning showjumper Richard Meade.

Amid the furore, Harry issued a public apology and Prince Charles packed him off to be lectured by the Chief Rabbi.

Yet how was it, asks Lacey, that Harry took all the blame from such incidents while the elder brother emerged Scot free.

‘Meghan was not the original factor in Prince Harry’s decision to get shot of his family,’ writes the author in his best-selling Battle of Brothers.

‘In January 2005 following the “Colonials and Natives” costume fiasco, we now know that Prince Harry was drawn to re-evaluate his elder brother’s involvement and the unfairness of William’s emergence smelling of roses.

‘It made Harry feel alienated. Friends recall “no speaks” and quite a serious rift between the brothers at the time – as there had been after the “Drugs Shame” of 2002, when Harry had first started to realise the price of playing the functional scapegoat.’

On that occasion, writes Lacey, Harry and friend Guy Pelly had taken the blame for the ‘wild antics’ at the Rattlebone pub, ‘when the real Rattlebone ring leader had been William.’

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Prince Harry plays polo for Eton College at Cirencester Park

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The Rattlebone Inn in Sherston, Wiltshire

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The Sun newspaper published a picture of Prince Harry wearing a khaki uniform with a swastika armband for a fancy dress party. The Crown recreated the moment, above, in its final series

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Harry was criticised yet claims his brother had helped him choose the offending costume. There was no criticism of William in the subsequent furore

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Prince Harry’s relationship with his brother suffered and they barely spoke, says royal author and commentator Katie Nicholl. Harry and William are pictured at Sandringham

Author and journalist Katie Nicholl recalls one royal aide telling her that ‘for the first time their relationship really suffered and they barely spoke…Harry resented the fact that William got away so lightly.’

Lacy concludes that:

‘It was the function of the elder brother to be perfect whether he truly was or was not and it was the function of the younger one to make the rest of us laugh or complain or feel disapproving – and at all events to make us feel thoroughly superior to the poor clueless kid.

‘This was the role that all of us shaped for Prince Harry over the years.’