Prince Harry’s jaw-dropping response after royal wedding snub – and he’s blaming this one family member
With the wedding season fully upon us, the Royal Family are also set to enjoy a jolly knees up this weekend when they head to the picturesque Cotswolds for the nuptials of King Charles’ nephew, Peter Philips and his wife-to-be, nurse Harriet Sperling.
The wedding of Princess Anne’s son, also Zara Tindall’s brother, has been described as an ‘intimate’ celebration of the couple’s family and friends – but the guest list is certainly far from humble. Among guests likely to attend are Charles and Queen Camilla; Peter’s cousin Prince William and Kate Middleton; Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; Princess Anne, the Edinburghs, Edward and Sophie, and Zara and Mike Tindall.
So, it’s little wonder that the guest list has prompted questions over whether Prince Harry, Peter’s first cousin, and Meghan Markle will attend, given that Peter was present at their 2018 wedding day at St.George's Chapel in Windsor.
But last week a friend of the couple confirmed that the Sussexes have not been invited, saying, ‘Peter and Harry haven’t spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn’t been invited.’
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Now we’re told the surprising snub has hurt Harry, 41, who spent a lot of time with Peter, 48, throughout their childhoods. An insider says, ‘Harry expected to at least get an invite. This is his first cousin and someone he grew up with and has always been very close to. It is true that in the last few years they have drifted, but Peter was at his wedding, and he was at Peter’s first wedding.’
Sharing fond memories of their childhood, during which they spent summers at Sandringham, Peter said on Good Morning Britain in 2016, ‘We had a lot of fun and there was a lot of space for kids to run around in, and it wasn't just us – it was the Waleses (William and Harry), Freddie and Ella Windsor (Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's children), and the Gloucesters (Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, Lady Davina Lewis and Lady Rose Gilman, the children of the Queen's cousin, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester).’
However, when it comes to who is to blame for the royal wedding snub, the source says Harry is adamant that Peter has been ‘pressured’ by William not to extend an invitation to Harry.
We’re told, ‘Harry says he’s 100% sure William is the reason that he’s been getting the cold shoulder from Peter. He says it’s obvious William has pressured Peter to take sides. And he says this wedding situation just proves it, because why else would he not be invited?
‘As far as Harry is concerned, the only possible reason for Peter to snub him is pressure from William. He’s very hurt that Peter would turn his back on him like this, but says he doesn’t actually blame him because he knows how persuasive William can be and how he likes to throw his weight around.’
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In the past few years, since Harry’s move to Montecito, it has become clear that Peter has drifted away from his younger cousin and grown closer to William, 43, with whom he is described as having a ‘brotherly bond’.
During an interview with Sky News Australia in 2024, Peter praised William and Kate as being a ‘fantastic team’ and referred to Kate as ‘remarkable’. Meanwhile, Harry met his father for the first time in 19 months last September, but is believed not to have spoken to most of his family members for almost four years following the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.
Even Eugenie, whom he had remained close to, was reported to have distanced herself from him after an alleged row between her and Harry last year over a photograph of her having lunch with Piers Morgan, who has openly criticised the Sussexes, emerged.
Now we’re told Harry is convinced that William is on a campaign to isolate him further from the royal fold and furthering his 'outcast status' as a result. The insider says, ‘Harry suspects that William has been on a mission to turn every single family member against him and slowly, but surely, it seems to be working. Harry sees it as very petty that he has effectively blocked his own younger brother from attending a family wedding.
'It’s been so many years, and he still seems to just thrive on rubbing Harry's nose in his outcast status. Harry says his brother loves to come across as this mellow, measured character, when in reality, he believes is going to be an extremely dictatorial monarch when he takes the throne.’
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However, speculation has been mounting in recent months over whether Harry could be set to reunite with Charles again this summer when he returns to the UK in July for an event celebrating the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games.
It has also been reported how the King, who is said to want a closer relationship with his grandchildren – Archie, seven, and Lilibet, four – could reconsider the ‘half in, half out’ proposal Harry had asked for back in 2020, which would likely see Harry carry out royal duties from his home in California.
So, with this in mind, the source says the last thing Harry wants is to come across as bitter about not attending the wedding, as we’re told that instead ,he is taking the snub in his stride and standing his ground when it comes to William’s alleged bid to oust him.
We’re told, ‘It’s not as though this is going to be a small wedding, Harry is claiming he would have had no problem keeping things civil and swerving William, but he says his brother’s ego can’t handle it.
‘But there is no way that Harry will lash out publicly over this; he doesn’t want to give William the pleasure of seeing him sweat. He’s even sent a gift to the bride and groom, as a show of goodwill and a direct acknowledgement of their omission. If he just cuts communication with everyone that William has pushed away from him, he will be totally letting him win, and he refuses to do that.’
