Prince Harry ‘agreed to stay away’ from friend’s wedding as part of ‘civilised understanding’ with Prince William

It is being claimed that Prince Harry has decided not to attend the wedding of their son Archie’s godfather, Hugh Grosvenor, as part of a “civilised understanding” between the Duke of Sussex and his brother, Prince William. 33-year-old Grosvenor is set to marry Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on June 7.

Prince Harry ‘to stay away’ from friend’s wedding as part of ‘civilised understanding’ with Prince William (AP/PTI, Andy Kelvin/PA via AP)

Grosvenor is believed to be good friends of both Harry and William. On his wedding day, William is expected to serve as the groom’s usher. More than 400 guests are expected to attend the big day.

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Harry, however, will remain in the United States. An insider has now said that Harry has “agreed to stay away” so his brother can perform the key role in the wedding. “It is understood that a civilised understanding was reached between the Duke [of Westminster] and Harry over the phone. It’s a long way to come from California, after all,” the source told The Times.

“Harry was invited but then agreed to stay away. The Duke’s diplomacy then cleared the way for William to perform the role of usher during Friday’s ceremony — a job that would have been beyond awkward if he was obliged to show Harry to his pew, even though he might enjoy telling him where to go,” the source added. Harry did not meet William the last two times he visited the UK.

Which royals will attend Hugh Grosvenor’s wedding?

While the Prince of Wales will attend Grosvenor’s wedding, it is unclear if King Charles and Queen Camilla will also be in attendance. Kate Middleton is not expected to attend the event as she is recovering from cancer.

Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, amassed massive wealth when he was only 25 after his father Gerald Grosvenor, the sixth Duke of Westminster, died from a heart attack in 2016. Grosvenor told The Chester Standard of the wedding, “We’ve obviously got a long association with the cathedral as a family so we were here for my father’s memorial, my sister’s wedding and every Remembrance Sunday that I can attend is here.”

“But I’m unbelievably excited and I also wanted to make it very clear how unbelievably helpful people have been, how supportive they’ve been so far, which I’m unbelievably grateful for because I do realise that it’s going to be a big, big thing for the city,” he added.