Could Prince William and Prince Harry really be brought face to face over a baptismal font?
Both men are close friends of Britain’s richest aristocrat, the Duke of Westminster, known to friends as Hughie. He is reportedly considering asking them both to be godparents to his first child, a daughter born last month.
According to The Sunday Times, he has already asked William, but he has not yet made “a final decision” regarding Harry.
The implication seems to be that he may invite both.
To which one can only say, channeling Princess Anne: “Not bloody likely.”
Yes, Hughie Grosvenor is that rare figure, one of the few mutual friends who still maintains civil relations with both brothers. Yes, he is godfather to William’s son, Prince George, and to Harry’s son, Archie. Yes, he may well wish the princes would patch things up. But the idea that he would try to engineer such a reconciliation at the baptism, that he would presume this decades-deep, blood-level feud might be soothed by a double godparenthood, would leave most of high society slack-jawed with horror.
In any divorce, friends have to pick a side. And the British aristocracy, loyal to the Crown for generation after generation, have, unsurprisingly, kept faith with the Crown and picked its next holder, William.
Hughie, whatever his private sympathies, is not exempt from those dynamics. He is not just a friend of William, he is the King’s godson. His family has been tied to the monarchy for centuries. Their vast fortune, over £10 billion ($12.7 billion), is rooted in royal favor, from the original 17th-century land grants that gave them Mayfair and Belgravia, to the 300 prime acres they still own there today. The Grosvenors have always known how to stay close to the throne.
The best solution might be to ask Harry, but hope/suggest he doesn’t come. That was the approach taken at Hughie’s wedding, when he married Olivia Henson, 32, at Chester Cathedral in June 2024, in front of 400 guests, where William was an usher.
A friend of the brothers was quoted at the time saying: “Hugh is one of very few close friends of William and Harry’s who has maintained strong bonds and a line of communication with both. He wishes they could put their heads together and patch things up, but realizes it’s unlikely to happen before the wedding. He wanted to avoid anything overshadowing the day, especially for Olivia, and doesn’t want any awkwardness.”
If awkwardness was a risk at a 400-person wedding, how much worse would it be at a christening?
Baptisms are smaller, tighter, more intimate. Godparents don’t wave from the pews, they stand shoulder to shoulder at the font. A joint appearance by the feuding brothers would dominate the coverage and obliterate the baby’s big day.
Harry is due back in the U.K. next month to attend the WellChild Awards and has made it clear he wants reconciliation. In a BBC interview in May, he said: “There is no point continuing to fight any more … Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive lots of things. But I would love a reconciliation … I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me.”
That line, “He won’t speak to me,” reverberated in court circles. So too did the deafening silence from William.
It did not go unnoticed that Prince William was not invited—or at least had no representative present—at the discreet “peace summit” held between King Charles’s communications chief, Tobyn Andreae, and Prince Harry’s aides, Meredith Maines and Liam Maguire, last month.
The absence suggested that William does not wish to be seen as participating in reconciliation efforts he regards with extreme caution. As one insider said, “It’s no coincidence that William and Catherine did not have a representative…They were not asked to send anyone and will be treating the talks with extreme caution.”
The Wales household is keeping faith with the doctrine of distance when it comes to Harry, and there is no sign of softening. If anything, the future king has become more entrenched. Those close to him see Harry’s public overtures as attempts to control the narrative, not sincere olive branches. They are confident William is done.
So the idea that Grosvenor, however well-meaning, however close to both men, might imagine that he could be the architect of a reunion would strike many as absurd, even presumptuous. It is not his feud to fix. For an aristocrat so deeply steeped in the codes of discretion, loyalty, and deference, it would be a shocking misjudgment.
To invite both brothers to church would be read not as a gesture of friendship, but as a meddlesome social intervention.
The likeliest outcome? William attends as godfather, and Harry sends a gracious letter and a tasteful silver rattle.
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Westminster declined to comment to The Sunday Times.
Big move
At a time when many are struggling to pay rent in the U.K., the Prince and Princess of Wales are relocating to a newly-renovated eight-bedroom mansion in Windsor Great Park. The property, Forest Lodge, is a Grade II-listed estate dating back to 1696, now undergoing an extensive refurbishment reportedly funded by Prince William via private income from the Duchy of Cornwall, a $1.3 billion portfolio of land and assets.
According to sources quoted in The Sun, the move is intended to mark a “fresh start” for the couple and their children following several difficult years, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and the Princess of Wales’ health concerns. The couple currently resides at Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom grace-and-favor home also located in Windsor.
Planning documents submitted in June indicate that the new residence is being substantially overhauled, with internal walls removed, new windows and flooring installed, and ceilings restored. The property, last renovated in 2001 at a cost of $1.9 million, is now estimated to be worth in the region of $20 million. It will not include live-in staff accommodation, according to reports, although the same was said of Adelaide Cottage.
The Mail on Sunday reported that two families living in nearby cottages were asked earlier this year to vacate their homes and were reportedly offered alternative accommodation elsewhere within the park. No official reason has been given.
The family originally moved to Windsor in 2022, citing a desire to be closer to the late queen and to provide a more private countryside upbringing for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Kensington Palace has framed the move as a response to personal and emotional challenges. However, its timing and framing have drawn criticism, given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis affecting millions across the UK. While the couple will fund the refurbishment themselves—perhaps mindful of the backlash to the $3 million taxpayer-funded renovation of Frogmore Cottage for Prince Harry and Meghan—the decision to position the relocation as a form of emotional recovery has attracted scrutiny.
The move also raises longer-term questions. With Buckingham Palace currently undergoing a $468 million taxpayer-funded renovation, it is widely assumed that Prince William does not plan to live there, even as king. Forest Lodge is instead expected to become the family’s permanent residence.
The monarchy’s future direction under William has often been described as more modern and streamlined. But the optics of acquiring a multimillion-pound estate during a national economic crisis suggest a disconnect between royal priorities and public sentiment.
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