Prince Harry Reportedly Missed the Wedding of “Unofficial Best Man” Jack Mann

When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, his brother, Prince William, may have been the one to stand by his side at the altar, but his friend Jack Mann was his “unofficial best man.” On the first weekend of July 2023, it was Mann’s turn to say “I do.” According to The Independent, the royal’s friend got married to Isabella Clark at St. Peter’s Church in Stutton, but reports from the Daily Mail indicate that Harry and Meghan Markle didn’t attend the festivities. Earlier this year, other reports speculated that Harry would return to the United Kingdom for his friend’s special day, but he allegedly missed the affair.

For the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s nuptials in 2018, Mann was referred to as the groom’s “unofficial best man,” although the actual role went to William. A source revealed to the Daily Mail on July 2, 2023, that Harry never recognized his brother as his best man. “There have long been rumors in Harry’s circle that there was another best man in secret,” the insider disclosed. “William was the public-facing best man but not the sole best man, nor the true best man in Harry’s eyes.”

Similarly, in Harry’s tell-all memoir, Spare, which was released in January 2023, the duke revealed that James Meade and Thomas were actually William’s best men when he married Kate in 2011—not Harry. “The public had been told that I was to be best man, but that was a bare-faced lie,” he writes. “The public expected me to be the best man, and thus, the palace saw no choice but to say that I was. In truth, Willy didn’t want me giving a best man speech. He didn’t think it safe to hand me a live mic and put me in a position to go off script. I might say something wildly inappropriate. He wasn’t wrong.”

For Harry’s wedding, Mann did serve as one of several ushers, including Charlie van Staubenzee, the brother of William’s best friend, Thomas van Straubenzee, per The Independent. He was even one of the members pictured in a black-and-white photo of Harry and his six closest friends on his wedding night, which first appeared in the Sussex’s Netflix docuseries, Harry and Meghan.

It is unclear whether Harry and Mann have kept in touch over the years. According to Australian journalist Daniela Elser, the duke has only six close friends, which may or may not include Mann. The pair of friends first met at Sandhurst, where they were commissioned into the Blues and Royals and went on to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan together. 

According to The Independent, the last time Harry went to the United Kingdom was in June 2023 to provide evidence in his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers that the Daily, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People use methods, like hacking his phone, to get information about him and use it for publication. Harry and Meghan relocated to California in July 2020, so they don’t make the trek overseas as often. 

Although Harry and Meghan didn’t show up for Mann’s wedding, Thomas (also the godfather of Princess Charlotte, William and Kate Middleton’s daughter) was present with his wife, Lucy.