Prince William and Prince Harry are once again on opposing sides- this time over who will be chosen as godfather to their close friend, the Duke of Westminster’s first child.
Hugh Grosvenor, 34, and his wife, Olivia, 32, welcomed daughter Cosima Florence Grosvenor last month, just over a year after their lavish Chester Cathedral wedding.
Grosvenor, who is King Charles III’s godson and affectionately known as Hughie, is one of the closest friends of both William and Harry, and one of the few people chosen as a godparent by both royal brothers.
He is godfather to both Prince George, 12, and Prince Archie, six.
On Sunday, friends close to the Duke and Duchess of Westminster told The Times that “no decision has yet been made” about Cosima’s godparents, but it remains a “particularly delicate dilemma”.
While it’s believed William, 43, will take up the role, the new father is still weighing up whether to also ask Harry, 40, despite ongoing family tensions since the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California.
Both brothers are understood to have sent congratulations following Cosima’s birth on July 27, though no date has been set for her christening.
Notably, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not attend Grosvenor’s wedding last June.
Prince William, by contrast, played a key role as usher on the day, greeting guests and guiding them to their seats before the ceremony.
His wife, Princess Catherine, was unable to attend due to receiving chemotherapy treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer and is understood to have remained at home in Windsor with their three children.
Reports later revealed Grosvenor had considered inviting Harry and Meghan but feared the royal rift would overshadow the nuptials.
At the time, a friend of the princes told The Sunday Times: “It’s incredibly sad it has come to this. 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 realises 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.”
Sources close to the Sussexes later suggested they had received a “save the date” card but opted not to attend, as it would have been”too awkward”.
Now 7th Duke of Westminster, Grosvenor inherited an estimated £9 billion (AUD $18 billion) fortune from his late father, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died in 2016.
His inheritance includes 140,000 acres across Oxfordshire, Cheshire, Lancashire and Scotland, along with 300 acres in Mayfair and Belgravia.