Prince Harry’s Cheeky Wedding Reception Gift to New Sister-in-Law Kate Middleton Was Seriously Risqué

Kate Middleton at her wedding reception in 2011

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 1 October 2023

Prince Harry carried out his duties as best man at brother Prince William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton, including delivering a rousing speech full of humor at the couple’s wedding reception at Buckingham Palace—and presenting the bride, Kate, with a cheeky gift that thankfully she found funny (otherwise it would have fallen completely flat).

Prince Harry at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011

In the pages of his memoir, Spare, Harry recounted the events of the night of April 29, 2011, “explaining his speech was mostly improvised and included heartfelt moments as well as comical anecdotes from their childhood,” The Mirror reports.

During his speech, Harry read out letters of goodwill sent to William and Kate by people from all over the world, including one man from the U.S. who had tried to capture 1,000 stoats to create a special garment for Kate. “The attempt fell somewhat short as he only managed to catch two in the space of a year, but enough fur had been gathered to craft an ermine thong,” The Mirror writes. “Wedding guests, bemused and amused in equal measure at the story, were left even more shocked when Harry pulled the thong out from his pocket and brandished it in front of Kate.”

Thank goodness for Kate’s sense of humor: “The now Princess of Wales is said to have seen the funny side as the gag sent the star-studded audience into fits of laughter,” the outlet reports.

Harry’s speech then shifted to a more serious tone, as he brought into the conversation his and William’s late mother, Princess Diana. Harry told guests at the reception that she would have loved to have witnessed William’s special day, “and insisted she would have enjoyed the thong joke,” The Mirror writes.

Maybe one day we’ll have those days again, where William and Harry can laugh together. One can continue to hope.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.