New reports have alleged that Prince Archie and Prince George share a godfather in one of Prince William and Prince Harry's closest friends Hugh Grosvenor – but that the ongoing royal rift will see the youngest Prince miss out on a role in Hugh's 2024 wedding.
Hugh, the Duke of Westminster, and his fiancee Olivia Henson have decided to not invite Harry and Meghan to their wedding, as The Times has reported that the pair are keen to "to avoid a family clash in the House of Windsor" and "to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia".
© GettyKing Charles and Queen Camilla are said to be on the guest list, as is the Prince and Princess of Wales for the special day which will take place at Chester Cathedral on June 7 2024.
Archie's cousin Prince George is expected to play a role in the wedding as 33-year-old Hugh is also godfather to the second-in-line to the throne, while Prince William is believed to be in the running to be the best man. Hugh's mother is also Prince William's godmother.
HELLO! has reached out to reps for Harry and Meghan for comment.
© WPA PoolThe Sussexes have never publicly named the godparents to their children Archie or Princess Lilibet, although it is thought that Tiggy Pettifer, the former nanny to William and Harry, Mark Dyer, a former equerry to the King, and Harry’s friend Charlie van Straubenzee were all asked to be Archie's godparents.
Tyler Perry confirmed during the pair's Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan that he was asked to be Lili's godfather.
Hugh is the third child of Gerald and his wife Natalia Phillips; and has three sisters; Lady Tamara, 42, who married one of William's best friends, Edward van Cutsem, Lady Edwina, 41, who is married to TV presenter and historian Dan Snow, and 29-year-old Lady Viola.
The 32-year-old succeeded his father to become the Duke of Westminster in 2016. He was just 25 at the time. In 2023, Bloomberg estimated his net worth of approximately £9.42 billion, making him one of the wealthiest men in Britain.
He dropped to one knee earlier this year at his family home at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, and the two shared their happy news along with a lovely photo of the newly-engaged couple taken at Eaton Estate.
"The Duke of Westminster and Miss Olivia Henson are delighted to announce they are engaged to be married,” the pair said in a statement. "The couple, who have been together for two years, recently became engaged at the Duke's family home at Eaton Hall in Cheshire. Members of both their families are absolutely delighted with the news. Hugh Grosvenor, The Duke of Westminster, is Grosvenor's Chair as well as Chair of the Westminster Foundation."
© GettyHarry and Meghan now live in Montecito, California after stepping back from royal duties in 2020.
In recent years, the fractured relationship between Harry and his father, King Charles, and brother Prince William, has become more delicate, particularly after the release of Harry's memoir Spare – in which he detailed physical altercation between the two brothers at Nottingham Cottage in 2019, and alleged that William and Kate approved of him wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party in 2005 – and the recent publication of Omid Scobie's Endgame, of which Dutch editions named the two royals who reportedly questioned the color of Prince Archie's skin.
