Prince William skipped an important event to take on a prestigious royal duty on behalf of King Charles.
The Prince of Wales was absent from the June 6 rehearsal dinner for the wedding of his close friend, the Duke of Westminster.
Hugh Grosvenor, 33, is set to marry Olivia Henson in a lavish ceremony at Chester Cathedral today, which is anticipated to be the wedding of the year. William has an important role in the nuptials, serving as the groom’s usher. Over 400 guests will gather at their 11,000-acre Eaton Estate to celebrate.
However, instead of attending the rehearsal dinner for his long-time friend, William had to step in for his father at a D-Day event, which was considered “a step too far” for the King.
King Charles missed the ceremony at Omaha Beach to commemorate the Normandy Landings due to his ongoing cancer treatment. William took his place, joining world leaders President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
King Charles embarked on his first overseas trip since his cancer diagnosis in January, arriving earlier in the day at Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, for a UK national commemorative event marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
However, he did not attend the international event with world leaders at Omaha Beach later in the afternoon, following doctors’ advice that the ceremony would be too taxing for him.
The King was reportedly “delighted” that his son could deputize for him for the first time. While William was absent from the rehearsal, he will have a prominent role at today’s nuptials. However, Harry, who is also a close friend of the Duke of Westminster, will not be attending at all.
It has previously been reported that Harry and Meghan turned down the invite to the nuptials. However now, a source has shed light on the apparent reason why the Prince said no.
A source said that the Prince has “agreed to stay away” in order to let his brother perform the key role in the ceremony.
“It is understood that a civilised understanding was reached between the Duke [of Westminster] and Harry over the phone. It’s a long way to come from California, after all,” the source told The Times.
They added: “Harry was invited but then agreed to stay away. The Duke’s diplomacy then cleared the way for William to perform the role of usher during Friday’s ceremony — a job that would have been beyond awkward if he was obliged to show Harry to his pew, even though he might enjoy telling him where to go.”
