On June 7, at the historic Chester Cathedral in England, billionaire Hugh Grosvenor, who is also the 7th Duke of Westminster, tied the knot with Olivia Henson, who is 31 years old and works as an account manager for a food firm. He was in attendance to assist his childhood pal, Prince William, who would one day become king on his special day. Prince Harry, Hugh's other royal friend, was conspicuously absent from the event.
“Hugh’s family has been close to the royals for generations,” an unnamed source told Star Magazine of the godfather to William’s son Prince George, 10, and Harry’s older child, Prince Archie, 5.
Given that the brothers were still at odds with one another, it was obvious that none of them could make it to the event. This was especially true after Prince William, who was 41 years old at the time, was selected to serve as an usher. The insider revealed that despite the fact that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were invited, a difficult decision was made, and the Sussexes politely declined the invitation.
In addition to wedding invitations, Prince Harry has made other sacrifices. There has been a series of setbacks for the 39-year-old individual ever since he resigned from his royal duties more than four years ago. Recent setbacks include being separated from his father, King Charles III, who is 75 years old, and his sister-in-law, Princess Kate, who is 42 years old, as they both fight cancer.
“The reality is he’s lost his place among Britain’s high society,” the informant explained, adding that the most recent snub, which came just a few weeks after King Charles publicly claimed that he was too busy to meet his son during a rare trip to London, has proven to be a breaking point for Prince Harry, who has been spiraling as he battles to come to terms with the repercussions of his decisions.
“There are some days when Harry says he can’t take it anymore — the slights, the coldness coming from the palace, it’s like he’s no longer a part of that family,” the mole shared, noting that a "worried" Meghan, who is 42 years old, "seems to be his only anchor these days."
The royal family just can't seem to be on Prince Harry's side. In the year that followed the publication of his explosive memoir, "Spare," in which he described battles with his father and brother and accused loved ones and palace courtiers of lying to the media in order to protect and favor more senior royals, Prince Harry stated that he still harboured the hope that they could make apologies.
“The door is always open. The ball is in their court. There is a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk,” Prince Harry stated. So far, that hasn’t happened.
“William and Harry aren’t even close to a truce. William hasn’t forgiven Harry for what he said in his book. They feel as though it’s better to keep us, somehow, as the villains," the snitch stated.
In the event that there is a decision that needs to be made between Prince William and Prince Harry, it has become abundantly clear that the heir to the throne will always emerge victorious.
“Harry’s been forced to step back from many of his former friendships, including with Hugh. It only serves to remind him where he fits into the royal scheme of things. He’s been relegated to the back of the room," the spy stated.
“There are friends from his former life who don’t talk to him out of loyalty to the royal family. Harry’s extremely sensitive to people’s disdain for him whether real or perceived and has grown isolated and lonely for his old life," it went on.
Despite the fact that Prince Harry flew to Britain immediately after the palace announced King Charles' diagnosis in February, he was only allowed to spend thirty minutes with his father and has not seen him since. It is believed that Prince Harry and Meghan learned about the Princess of Wales' medical news, including a January abdominal surgery and a March chemotherapy reveal, with the rest of the world.
“It’s boggling to Harry that Charles and Kate would shun him at a time when the family should stick together amid a health crisis. That’s wrenching for Harry," the naysayer told the publication.
More recently, the Sussexes have for the second year in a row been unsuccessful in their attempt to secure an invitation to Trooping the Colour, which is the formal birthday ceremony held annually for the monarch.
“It’s just another in a long list of slights. Their position as castoffs seems to have been firmly cemented," the insider stated.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan's attempts to reinvent themselves in America have proven difficult, as per Daily Mail. Though they embarked on a well-received unofficial royal tour of Nigeria in May and have film and TV shows in the works at Netflix, their lucrative podcasting contract with Spotify was abruptly terminated last year, and in December, it was revealed that their charitable Archewell Foundation had a $11 million decrease in contributions after its first year of operation.
“Things haven’t exactly panned out as they’d hoped. Harry wonders whether it was such a good idea to leave the U.K. and everything he knew to move to the States," the informant conceded.
When Prince Harry held a service of thanksgiving in London in May to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, which is a sporting event for wounded, ill, and injured soldiers and veterans, no one from the royal family showed up, despite the fact that they were only a few miles away, PEOPLE reported. This has allegedly caused him a great deal of distress.
“Harry may put on a stoic face. But it eats away at him that he’s being treated like a pariah when all he tried to do was protect his family," the tipster stated.
The fact that they were subjected to such treatment is precisely the reason that Meghan and Harry decided to leave in the first place.
“She reminds him how unhappy he was in the U.K. and how they have so much to be grateful for now. She doesn’t spend a lot of time looking backward. She’s focused on the present and thinks he should be too," the mole shared.
Business Times has reached out to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comments.
