Prince Harry Reportedly Had a "Lads' Lunch" With Friends in April, but Prince William Didn't Attend

When he visited the U.K. in April for Prince Philip's funeral, Prince Harry reportedly had a "lads' lunch" with friends, but Prince William didn't attend.

nottingham, england october 26 prince harry waves as he leaves nottinghams new central police station on october 26, 2016 in nottingham, england photo by joe giddins wpa poolgetty images
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  • According to a new report, Prince Harry invited several of his oldest friends to a "lads' lunch" when he was in the United Kingdom in April for Prince Philip's funeral.
  • The guest list was reportedly made up mostly of men who played a key role at Harry's wedding, but his brother and best man, Prince William, did not attend, according to a royal source.
  • "It's sad that William was not included in Harry's plans for a lads' lunch during the last visit," the source said. "The only royals who seemed to see a lot of him were Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank."

Prince Harry is reconnecting with his old friends, it seems.

According to the Daily Mail, the Duke of Sussex made a point of hanging out with some of his oldest friends when he was in the United Kingdom this spring for Prince Philip's funeral—and his friends reportedly couldn't be happier to have had that time with Harry.

"After the wedding Harry cut everyone from the U.K. off, but now he's at last showing signs of wanting to reconnect with his old life," the Daily Mail source said. "His friends are really excited, they think that the old Harry is coming back out of his shell. It sounds like he's starting to realize that he doesn't have to abandon his old life to enjoy a new one in California with Meghan."

While the source says the group at the "lads' lunch" in April consisted mostly of key figures from Harry's wedding party, one VIP from the wedding was notably absent—Harry's best man and older brother, Prince William.

"The two worlds he now occupies are not mutually exclusive for his friends, though they may well be for his family," the source said. "It's sad that William was not included in Harry's plans for a lads' lunch during the last visit. The only royals who seemed to see a lot of him were Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank."

The exact guest list of the April get-together hasn't been revealed, but close friends of Harry's that are thought to be on the short list for such a gathering include his "deputy best man," Jack Mann, as well as Charlie van Straubenzee, Arthur Landon, and Mark Dyer, who the Daily Mail report describes as Harry's "surrogate godfather." 

Of course, any report that doesn't come directly from the royals themselves has to be taken with a grain of salt, but if this one is true, we can only hope Harry and William will be able to reconnect while Harry in the U.K. for the unveiling of Princess Diana's memorial statue at Kensington Palace.

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london may 7 file photo princess diana, princess of wales with her sons prince william and prince harry attend the heads of state ve remembrance service in hyde park on may 7, 1995 in london, england photo by anwar husseingetty images

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Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.