Royal news – live: William serves as usher at duke’s wedding as Harry stays away

Prince Harry is set to miss his close friend’s nuptials on Friday while his brother, Prince William, serves as an usher.

The Duke of Westminster is set to wed his fiancée Olivia Henson, 31, at Chester Cathedral on Friday in what is billed to be the society wedding of the year.

Hugh Grosvenor, 33, has long had close associations with the monarchy and is the godfather of both William and Kate’s eldest son, Prince George, 10, and Harry’s son, Archie, five.

However only one of the royal brothers will be attending the celebrations amid continued tensions between the pair.

A source close to Harry told People magazine that he decided against attending the wedding after acknowledging the difficulties his presence would cause.

After months of speculation, sources close to the Duke of Sussex told People magazine that he had spoken privately to his longtime friend, the Duke of Westminster, about the challenges of his attendance before they mutually came to the decision.

Read the full report here:

The title of the Duke of Westminster is historically significant as it is the most recent title given to a person who is not a direct descendant of the royal family – although it is worth noting that Grosvenor’s mother is a direct descendent of George II.

The dukedom was given to Hugh Grosvenor, the third Marquess of Westminster, by Queen Victoria in 1847, making the current Hugh Grosvenor the seventh Duke of Westminster.

The Duke inherited his title and the Grosvenor Estate in 2016 upon the death of his father, Gerald Grosvenor, at the age of 64. At the time, the then-sixth Duke of Westminster was the UK’s wealthiest landowner.

Now his son owns the 300-plus acre Grosvenor estate, made up of some of London’s most desirable neighbourhoods including Mayfair and Belgravia.

King Charles is Hugh’s godfather and was present at his Christening in 1991. Prince William, meanwhile, holds the Duke in such high regard that he made him Prince George’s godfather in 2013.

Grosvenor is also close friends with Prince Harry, who made the Duke Archie’s godfather.

Since stepping back as working royals in 2020, the Sussexes have been stripped of around-the-clock protection and must apply to the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office in advance.

They can no longer use their former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, although Harry was offered a place to stay in a royal residence during his trip to London last month.

The couple have had a strained relationship with their royal relatives ever since a series of bombshell interviews and Harry’s memoir, Spare, which detailed the tension between him, William and their father, the King.

Despite the awkwardness, the duke, known to those close to him as Hughie, is one of the few friends who has maintained a close relationship with both brothers.

Once described as Britain’s most eligible bachelor, Mr Grosvenor met his new wife through friends and they announced their engagement in 2023.

Since inheriting the Grosvenor Estate in 2016, after the sudden death at the age of 64 of his father, Gerald Grosvenor, his wealth has come under much scrutiny.

Estimated to be worth around £10.127 billion, he owns roughly half of Mayfair and is officially the richest man in the UK under the age of 40.