Prince Harry caused a heck of a stir in high society when he elected to turn down his invitation to the Duke of Westminster’s wedding, but it turns out he might’ve made the right call. Dubbed the wedding of the season, the marriage between the aforementioned Duke and his bride on June 7 should’ve been a happy occasion, but the ceremony ended up being targeted by anti-oil protesters.
Just as Hugh Grosvenor (33) — the aristocrat entrepreneur whose £10 billion fortune makes him the richest man under 40 in the U.K. — and his new wife, Olivia Henson (31), exited Chester Cathedral after completing their nuptials, the freshly wedded couple were surrounded by a cloud of orange powder paint, as released by a protester wielding a fire extinguisher. Prince William, who served as an usher at the event, was also leaving the church at the time.
Just Stop Oil, an environmental protest group, has confirmed its activists were behind the stunt. Naturally, due to tight security outside the church, the extinguisher was set off far away from the Duke and Duchess, and the Prince of Wales, so they likely didn’t get any orange paint on them, even if they were no doubt aware of the unexpected addition to the wedding day. Hey, it’s more original than releasing a flock of doves.
Why wasn’t Prince Harry at the Duke of Westminster’s wedding?
The Duke of Westminster — who was once considered to be the most eligible bachelor on the market, Bridgerton-style, prior to his engagement to Henson in April 2023 — is a lifelong friend of Princes William and Harry. His own father was close pals with King Charles, who serves as Grosvenor’s godparent.
So it reportedly came as a personal blow to Harry when the Duke named William as an usher at his wedding but not him, which insider sources indicate is the reason he decided to decline his own invitation to the event. It was apparently mutually and independently felt by both brothers that only one of them should attend the wedding, as their current animosity would otherwise cast a dark shadow over the happy occasion.
As it is, an orange shadow was cast over the event instead. Yes, orange. The same color as (the environmentally conscious) Prince Harry’s hair. What? I’m not insinuating anything, just stating the facts.
