Royal Expert Claims This Upcoming "Posh" Wedding is the Perfect Time for Prince William and Prince Harry to "Make Amends"

Could a royal reconciliation be in the immediate future?

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (L) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to one royal expert, an upcoming royal wedding could double as a way to bring estranged brothers Prince William and Prince Harry together.

As The Daily Mail notes, Hugh Grosvenor—one of the richest men in Britain and the 7th Duke of Westminster— is marrying Olivia Henson on June 7. The affair is reported to be "the very poshest of posh" of the year and will undoubtedly be attended by more than a few royals.

Grosvenor is also a dear friend of both Prince Harry and Prince William. In fact, Grosvenor is the godfather to Prince Harry's son, Archie.

According to a royal insider, both were invited to the wedding. But as The Daily Mail reports the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle have since declined to attend.

"It’s incredibly sad it has come to this," a close friend of Grosvenor said. "Hugh is one of the very few close friends of William and Harry who has maintained strong bonds…with both."

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (L) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The friend went on to say that Grosvenor "wishes" the brothers "could put their heads together and patch things up," though the groom-to-be apparently realizes that such a scenario is unlikely.

"He wanted to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia, and doesn’t want any awkwardness," the friend continued.

Liz Jones, a British journalist and royal expert, writes for The Daily Mail that the opportunity for reconciliation remains, and a famed wedding is the perfect venue for the brothers to come together.

"It’s like a game of Twister, a tangled web of turbulent toffs that has sadly been pulled apart," Jones writes. "I imagine William, though outwardly beaming, will actually feel a great deal of sadness that such a happy day cannot be shared."

Diana William Harry Ski Holiday

The late Princess Diana, pictured with her sons Prince Harry and Prince William.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Tim Graham)

Recently, Prince Harry was back in the U.K. to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his beloved Invictus Games. Despite the close proximity to his family, he did not spend time with or even see his brother or is father, King Charles, who was apparently "too busy" to meet with his son.

“In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the Duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program," a spokesperson for Prince Harry said, via The Telegraph.

Jones points out that weddings are usually a time "when family and friends" find a way to "put aside any differences, any squabbles, and turn up with a smile on their faces."

"It’s such a shame, a lost opportunity," she added. "Front page photographs of William and Harry suited and booted, slapping each other on the back would have brought about a national sigh of relief after so many difficult years."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.