They are both brothers and the closest of friends, but Prince William won't be acting as best man for Prince Harry at his wedding to Meghan Markle next May. The reason is simple – there is no such thing as a 'best man' at a royal wedding, according to Marlene Koenig, a British and European royalty expert. "The best man or best men are officially called supporters," she told Town & Country. "William will probably be Harry's supporter." It's thought that William actually broke tradition for his own 2011 nuptials and did appoint Harry to be his official 'best man'. His father Prince Charles, meanwhile, asked brothers Prince Andrew and Prince Edward to be his 'supporters' when he married Princess Diana in 1981, and similarly Edward asked his two older siblings to support him on his own wedding day.
Prince William pictured with 'best man' Prince Harry on his wedding day in 2011
It's also highly unlikely that Duchess Kate will be included in Meghan's bridal party. The two ladies have only met on a handful of occasions, and Kate will want to avoid taking any attention away from the bride and the groom; she kept a low-profile at sister Pippa Middleton's wedding in May for similar reasons. "If your sister is a future Queen, she is going to upstage the bride and draw attention," royal author Judy Wade said at the time of Pippa's nuptials. "Kate would want to be in the background as much as possible." However, there is a chance that Harry's little nephew and niece, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will take on an official role at the wedding next spring – just as they did at Pippa's, where they acted as page boy and bridesmaid respectively.
Duchess Kate took on a discreet role at sister Pippa Middleton's wedding
Following the news of Harry and Meghan's engagement, William, 35, expressed his delight for his younger brother. "We're very excited, delighted for them both," he said. "We're wishing them all the happiness at this very exciting time." He then joked: "Personally, I hope it means he stays out of my fridge and will stop scrounging all my food, which he's done for the last few years."