Prince Harry’s explosive memoir mentions members of the royal family, beloved relatives and mentors, as well as friends new and old.
Among those mentioned is a group of three siblings: The Van Straubenzee brothers who were classmates of Prince William, 40, and the Duke of Sussex, 38, when they were together at Ludgrove School.
They have remained close friends throughout their lives and the brothers, Thomas, 40, Charlie, 34, and the late Henry, are mentioned several times in Harry’s explosive book, Spare, published worldwide on Tuesday.
One of the most controversial revelations involving the brothers was the duke’s shocking claim that his brother’s ‘real’ groomsmen at his wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011 were his friends James Meade and Thomas Van Straubenzee.
The duke revealed that his breakup with his older brother meant that “Willy didn’t want me to give the best man speech.”
In an extraordinarily personal revelation, Harry claims he was forced to accept his brother’s ‘blatant lie’ and play the role of best man to avoid the embarrassment of William’s two closest friends, who gave the traditional speech at the reception.
The duke was officially considered his brother’s best man at the wedding and traveled with his father, the future king, to Westminster Abbey in a Bentley that day.
In Spare, Harry also revealed that he chose his “old friend” Charlie Van Straubenzee to be his best man, despite claims that William was fulfilling the role.
He suggested that William changed plans to spend the night with friends at the Coworth Park Hotel before Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.
The duke claimed his older brother canceled at the last minute, saying he needed to stay with the Princess of Wales and their children.
After Harry tried to persuade him further, he finally agreed to go to dinner with him, but still refused to stay the night, the memories recall.
Was he resentful for not being my godfather? Harry asked. That I had asked my old friend Charlie? (The Palace had published that Willy was my best man, as I had been when he and Kate were married.)
Elsewhere in his memoir, Harry mentions his close friend, Henry van Straubenzee, nicknamed ‘Henners’, who died at age 18 in a car accident in 2002.
The duke said hearing the news of his friend’s death took him back to the moment in 1997 when his father, then-Prince Charles, told him that Princess Diana had died.
He wrote: ‘The news must have come in the form of a phone call, though I only vaguely remember holding the phone and hearing the words.
‘Henners and another boy, leaving a party near Ludgrove, collided with a tree. Although the call is blurry, I vividly remember my reaction. Just like when dad told me about mom.
‘Right…so Henners had an accident. But he’s in the hospital, right? He will be well? No, he wasn’t.
In December 2022, Princes William and Harry joined forces in a rare show of unity for charity to remember their late friend ‘Henners’.
A joint letter, written for a Christmas carol concert for the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund at St Luke’s Church, Chelsea, on December 1, included both their names.
He went on to pay homage to ‘Henners’, using ‘we’ and ‘us’ as the royals presented a unified voice. It is understood that it is the first time in at least a year that they have released a statement together.
The royal siblings are patrons of the charity, which was set up by Henry’s parents Alex and Claire, and have attended the festive event with their wives Kate and Meghan in previous years.
The moving letter read: “We think everyone here tonight will agree that what Claire and Alex have accomplished since 2009 with The Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund is nothing short of extraordinary.”
The charity supports schools and helps build, restore and improve buildings, enabling children to have better and properly equipped classrooms and facilities, including toilets.
“As they gather under this roof tonight, the charity is supporting 51 nurseries, primary and secondary schools in rural Uganda, where 1,700 projects have been completed and more than 35,000 children each year benefit from receiving an education they otherwise would not have received. ‘the letter said.
Prince Harry and William remain close friends with Thomas and Charlie van Straubenzee.
