Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had the wedding of the decade, if not the century. But the two won’t be engaging in any royal marital festivities anytime soon.
The couple has not been invited to the upcoming nuptials of the Duke of Westminster, one of their son’s godparents, People reported on Sunday. The duke, Hugh Grosvenor, has opted to not include Harry and Meghan in his wedding to Olivia Henson to avoid any royal-family drama.
“It’s incredibly sad it has come to this,” an anonymous source told The Sunday Times, which first reported the news. “Hugh is one of 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 realizes 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.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to attend the celebration—scheduled for June 7 at the Chester Cathedral in northwest England—along with King Charles and Queen Camilla. Grosvenor is a godson of Charles, while his mother is a godparent to William. The duke is also a godparent to William and Kate’s son Prince George.
The wedding is expected to be something of a spectacle, as Grosvenor is one of the richest people in England. His father, who died in 2016, was worth an estimated $12.15 billion, People noted, making him the third-wealthiest British citizen at the time. The duke himself is now the chair of the Grosvenor Group, an investment and real estate company that oversees rural estates. He’s also the chair of the Westminster Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports families, schools, and at-risk youth.
Grosvenor and Coleman became engaged in April, after dating for two years. “Members of both their families are absolutely delighted with the news,” a press release announced at the time. Meghan and Harry, however, will have to look on at the wedding from their stateside sidelines. “We are not in a position to comment on the guest list,” a spokesperson for Grosvenor told People.
While the duke was hoping to avoid drama by excluding the estranged Harry and Meghan from his nuptials, that decision itself seems to have led to some excitement of its own.
