This morning, Kensington Palace confirmed the news we’ve all been anticipating—no, not the new royal baby’s name. Prince William will officially be Prince Harry’s best man when he marries Meghan Markle next month.
“Prince Harry has asked his brother The Duke of Cambridge to be his Best Man at his wedding to Ms. Meghan Markle,” Kensington Palace announced Thursday. “The Duke of Cambridge is honored to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor on May 19th.”
The news is hardly a surprise: The two brothers are famously close, and Prince Harry served as William’s best man when he married Kate Middleton in 2011.
But back in January, Wills confirmed that he actually hadn’t been asked yet to step in, officially.
“He hasn’t asked me yet, just to clear that up. It could be a sensitive subject,” he said in a radio interview.
“Our relationship is closer than it’s been because of the situation we’ve been through,” he continued, referencing the loss of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. “Losing our mother at a young age, it’s helped us travel through that difficult patch together. You’re like-minded. You go through similar things—it’s a bond, and it’s something you know you’ve tackled together and come out better for it.”
“That’s the thing about being a best mate, inevitably one of you is sometimes on an up, while the other is on a down,” William continued. “You’re always there for each other and repaying that favor.”
So now, the best mate thing is official, twice over.
As for who will stand up beside Meghan Markle remains a mystery for now. Kate Middleton is almost entirely out of the running for the job (according to sources, she’ll get to enjoy the wedding as a regular guest—though that might include wrangling Prince George and Princess Charlotte).
