The Duke of Westminster, who marries his long-term love Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral today, has found himself in the position of being stuck between feuding brothers Prince William and Prince Harry
Putting together the guestlist for a huge wedding is never an easy task – and it appears to be something the Duke of Westminster has encountered.
Hugh Grosvenor will marry fiancee Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral on Friday in front of a 400-strong congregation. However, one person who will be missing is close pal Prince Harry, who seemingly was invited to the nuptials, but diplomatically decided to stay away.
That’s because his brother Prince William is also invited and with the pair embroiled in a bitter feud, it appears that one party had to concede they would not attend not to overshadow the day. It comes as the groom, known as Hughie, who is the richest man in Britain under 40, finds himself in the unusual position of being close to both warring brothers.
The 33-year-old, worth over £10billion, is a godson of King Charles with the monarch and his late father being close friends, meaning he grew up with both William and Harry. His tight-knit bond with both of them is shown by the fact he in turn is godfather to William’s oldest son Prince George as well as Harry’s son Prince Archie.
As a pal of both, Hugh understandably wanted to have both his friends at the wedding but agreed with Harry he would skip the event. A source previously told the Sunday Times: “Hugh is one of the very few close friends of William and Harry’s who has maintained strong bonds and a line of communication with both.
“He wishes they could put their heads together and patch things up, but realises it’s unlikely to happen before the wedding. He wanted to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia, and doesn’t want any awkwardness.”
After Hugh and Harry came to the “civilised understanding” it seemingly paved the way for William’s attendance – and for him to take up his reported role as an usher at the ceremony. William will likely attend the wedding without his wife the Princess of Wales, who is continuing her recovery following a cancer diagnosis. It is also believed that King Charles, a godfather of Hugh, and Queen Camilla also won’t attend having just returned from France from D-Day commemorations yesterday.
Just last month, Hugh made rare remarks about his marriage as he visited Chester Cathedral – his wedding day venue. And he publicly spoke about those who have ‘supported’ him in the build-up to the big day.
“I think next time we’re in here will be slightly more nerve-wracking. But I’m unbelievably excited,” he told Town & Country. “I just 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 thing for the city. It’s going to be certainly a huge thing for us, so we’re just really grateful for all the help.”
