Prince William was noticeably without a plus one on Friday as the Prince of Wales attended a wedding at Chester Cathedral in Chester, England.
The father of three was spotted in his formal coat and tails as he made his way to the church solo for the wedding of Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, and Olivia Henson.
William served as an usher for the ceremony and was not joined by his wife, Kate Middleton , who is currently having treatment for cancer and has not made a public appearance since December 2023.
Another notable absence during the high society wedding was William’s estranged younger brother, Prince Harry. According to The Telegraph, “an understanding” was reached between Harry and the groom, who is the godfather of Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, Prince Archie. The outlet reports that Harry was informed he should stay away from the festivities. Grosvenor is also godfather of William and Kate’s eldest son, Prince George. The U.K. news outlet reports that Grosvenor is one of William and Harry’s few remaining mutual friends amid their rift.
Around 400 guests attended the nuptials on Friday, including William and Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie .
According to reporters, William arrived at the event in a Mercedes van with 10 other ushers, but did not stop to greet the crowd that had gathered outside the cathedral.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl said that both brothers were invited to the wedding, but that Harry “very diplomatically declined the invite.”
Nicholl explained that Grosvenor “was in a very difficult position when it came to invitations, and of course, seating plans and everything else.”
One element of the awkwardness was William’s role as an usher, which involves helping guests to their seats.
“William is going to be an usher and part of that role will be to show other guests to their seats, so you can only imagine how awkward it would be if Harry and Megan turned up, and it was William showing them to their seats,” Nicholl mused. “But he won’t have to come into any awkward encounters. He’ll know many of the people there… William’s going to feel very much at home, and will, I’m sure, consider it a great honor to be asked to be an usher. It is a privilege.”
Harry’s decision to bow out of his friend’s wedding only highlights the ongoing tension between the sons of king Charles III and the late princess Diana.
“Relations between the Sussexes and the Wales remains at an all-time low,” Nicholl said. “I’m told that William and Harry really are not even on speaking terms.”
Harry has been estranged from several relatives since his and Meghan’s 2020 decision to move to California and step down from their duties as senior royals. Since that time, both Harry and Meghan have publicly shared their negative experiences within the royal family on a variety of platforms, including a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, a Netflix docuseries titled Harry & Meghan, and Harry ‘s 2023 memoir ,spare.
