Prince Harry is expected to be one of the most glaring royal no-shows at today's wedding of his cousin Peter Phillips, the Daily Mail reports.
The strained relationship between Harry and Peter largely stems from an incident 18 years ago, according to the newspaper. Peter sold exclusive rights to his 2008 wedding to Hello! magazine for an estimated £500,000 without telling the family, leaving Harry furious.
“Prince Harry is expected to miss Peter Phillips's wedding due to a feud over the 2008 Hello! magazine deal.”
At the time, Harry had brought his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy to the wedding and planned to introduce her to the late Queen Elizabeth for the first time. He believed a photographer present was taking pictures for Peter and Autumn's private collection, not for a glossy magazine.
Harry was particularly annoyed because he and his brother Prince William had been battling to preserve the anonymity of Chelsy and Kate Middleton, complaining that unofficial pictures violated their privacy.
Kate also attended the 2008 wedding alone while William was in Africa. She met the Queen for the first time and spent much of the day with Chelsy, even dancing together.
Sources say the presence of Prince William and Kate at today's Cotswolds event has also played a part in Harry's expected absence, as he has 'not spoken in years' to Peter.
Peter Phillips, 48, is marrying NHS nurse Harriet Sperling today. The couple announced their engagement last summer after two years of dating.
Peter's first marriage to Autumn Kelly lasted 12 years and produced two daughters, Savannah, 14, and Isla, 13. The couple separated in February 2020 and divorced amicably. Autumn now has a public relationship with Irish property tycoon Donal Mulryan.