When Prince Williamwatched Aston Villa's take on Paris Saint-Germain in a nail-biting Champions Leagueclash yesterday, one of his oldest friends was by his side.
The Prince of Wales was accompanied byHugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, 34, and his pregnant wife at the Birmingham stadium - a turnout that would surely have stirred some sore emotions for William's estranged younger brother.
The Duke, one of the UK's biggest landowners, is a close friend of both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, and godfather to Prince George and also to Prince Archie.
But Harry's transatlantic dash has seen him miss multiple friendship milestones, ranging from a low-key football match to his perhaps more painful absence from Hugh's 2024 wedding to Olivia Henson, 32, who was also present yesterday.
The billionaire aristocrat was reportedly keen to invite the Sussexes but mutually agreed with Harry that it would be better if they didn't attend so the occasion wouldn't be overshadowed by royal tensions.
It's a far cry from Hugh's once-close relationship with the Montecito-based father-of-two, who was reportedly earmarked as Hugh's best man at one point prior to his exclusion from the society wedding.
Despite Hugh, known as Hughie by friends, and Harry remaining friends, seeing his brother celebrate Villa's 3-2 win with the landowner yesterday would have no doubt added a sting for Harry, who is rarely in the UK to catch up with his old circle.
To rub salt in the wound, it came just days after William enjoyed another boys' night out in Paris to watch Aston Villa with childhood friendsThomas von Straubenzee and William van Cutsem.
Prince William was accompanied by his old friend the Duke of Westminster (pictured right) yesterday evening
Hugh and his wife Olivia (pictured far right) applauded after Aston Villa scored their second goal at yesterday's match in Birmingham
Both were boyhood friends with William and Harry and their families have remained closely entwined since, from high society events to charity partnerships, to godparent duties - and being ushers at each others' weddings.
But after the Duke of Sussex made a dramatic move to Montecito in 2020, and laid bare his grievances with the family in a tell-all memoir, Spare; his connections with old friends have suffered alongside the well-documented rift with his family.
Thomas is known as William's best friend and in the wake of Megxit, sources said the future King was leaning on his old pal for support while Harry turned to another Van Straubenzee brother, Charlie.
Meanwhile, Harry himself confirmed in his memoir Spare that he'd experienced a rift with some members of the van Cutsem family who didn't approve of his tell-all Oprah interview.
Seeing his brother enjoying himself with their old pals will have caused an even greater sting, coming just days after Harry skipped the wedding of his close friend Lord Vivian even though he was in London just days later for his Court of Appeal hearing regarding security provisions.
Less than a week later, William was back at the football with Hugh - who shares a close bond with both brothers.
Harry and Hugh are seen during a 2015 visit to the Khulula Care for Wild Centre in South Africa with Care for Wild Centre owner Petronel Nieuwoud
Pictured:Hugh and William at the wedding of Edward van Cutsem and Lady Tamara Grosvenor at Chester Cathedral on November 6, 2004
Last week, Prince William was surrounded by old friends - includingThomas von Straubenzee, 42, pictured left
William van Cutsem, 45 (popularly nicknamed 'VC'), who is George's godfather (pictured far right) was also in attendance
In Spare, Prince Harry detailed how Thomas (pictured) acted as William's real best man at his 2011 wedding to Kate, delivering the traditional speech with James Meade
However, Harryagreed to stay away from Hugh's wedding last year for fear of his feud with his brother overshadowing the event, it was claimed.
A phone call from Hugh Grosvenor, the 7th Duke of Westminster, saw the Duke of Sussex invited to his nuptials with Olivia at Chester Cathedral in June last year.
However, it was later claimed that Harry reached a 'civilised understanding' with Hugh to bow out of attending, The Timesreported.
The change made the Prince of Wales free to be an usher for Hugh, who has been friends with the pair since childhood, avoiding the potentially awkward situation of having to show Harry to his seat during the ceremony.
'Apparently he [Harry] was put out by the request when he thought it should have been him.'
The Duke and Duchess of Westminster, who are expecting their first child, wed at Chester Cathedral, inviting around 400 guests, including Princess Eugenie and TV producer Phil Redmond to a lavish reception at the Grosvenor family seat, Eaton Hall, just outside Chester.
Harry's changed dynamic with Hugh isn't the only recent friendship change he's experienced in recent times, with him cutting ties with his friends Thomas von Straubenzee, 42, and William van Cutsem, 45.
However, William hasn't let the change impact his relationship with his old pals, who last week took to the footballwith him.
William and Hugh, known as Hughie to close friends, have maintained a close friendship over the years (seen in 2018 at the Stanford Hall Estate in Leeds withGeneral Timothy Granville-Chapman)
The Duke and Duchess of Westminster, who wed last year, announced that that are expecting a baby this summer
Olivia got into the spirit at yesterday's Champion League quarter final and donned an Aston Villa scarf
The van Straubenzees have often been described as being like a second family to William and Harry, and Claire and Alex - the boys' parents - provided a retreat for the royal brothers during the 'war of the Waleses' (Charles and Diana's very public, and painful divorce).
Harry was particularly close to Thomas's late brother Henry who became the royal's best friend after they met at their prep school, Ludgrove Prep in Berkshire.
'Skinny, with no muscles, and hair that stood up in permanent surrender, Henners was all heart,' he wrote affectionately of 'Henners'. 'Whenever he smiled, people melted.'
The Duke said in his book that Henry was the only boy who asked him about his mother Princess Dianaafter she died in 1997. Tragically, he himself passed away in a car crash at the age of 18.
In Spare, Harry described how the news of Henry's death had terrible echoes of the moment that his father, then Prince Charles, told himthat his mother had died. He noted how, 'just like Mummy', Henry was not wearing a seatbelt.
In December 2022, despite being estranged, the princes signed a joint letter to mark the 20th anniversary of Henry's death.
Thomas's brother Charlie appears to still be close to Harry, and both himself and Thomas were ushers at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in 2018, where Charlie gave a speech at the reception.
Harry also is godfather to Charlie's four-year-old daughter Clover and, in turn, Charlie is godfather to Prince Archie, five. Thepair were also seen cycling around the Californian neighbourhood in May 2022.
However Thomas - often described as the Prince of Wales's best friend - is likely to have divided loyalties over the princes' rift.
He and the Duke were close to one another in the 2010s, and when Thomas was in 2012 mugged in Stockwell, south London - it was Harry he was on the phone to when his Nokia phone was snatched.
In 2015, he accompanied Harry and his brother Charlie to a rugby match.
However, there seem to be no public joint appearances of the duo since - while Thomas has been seen by William's side aplenty, both at the football and other gatherings, such as the Duke of Westminster's wedding.
