Prince Harry has offered candid reflections on royal weddings and their emotional toll in his best-selling memoir Spare, published in January 2023. Among the most striking revelations in the book are his insights into the growing distance between him and his elder brother, Prince William, particularly around the time of William’s marriage to Catherine, Princess of Wales, in 2011.
Harry described the emotional aftermath of family weddings as somber and isolating, likening them to “low-key funerals.” “I’d had the same feeling when Pa got married, the same presentiment, and Gone Forever hadn’t it come true? In the Camilla era, as I’d predicted, I saw him less and less.
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Weddings were joyous occasions, sure, but they were also low-key funerals, because after saying their vows, people tended to disappear,” he wrote. Reflecting on his brother’s wedding, Harry confessed that it marked a turning point in their relationship. “I loved my new sister-in-law, I felt she was more sister than in-law,” he noted. “But in my gut, I couldn’t help feeling that this was yet another farewell under this horrid roof. Another sundering, reports the Daily Express.
The brother I’d escorted into Westminster Abbey that morning was gone forever. Who could deny it? He’d never again be first and foremost Willy.” Harry also shed light on another personal sting from the day: contrary to public belief, he was not William’s best man. “The public had been told that I was to be best man, but that was a bare-faced lie,” he revealed.
“The public expected me to be the best man, and thus the Palace saw no choice but to say that I was. In truth, Willy didn’t want me giving a best-man speech.” The Duke of Sussex acknowledged that the pattern extended beyond his relationship with William. He also referenced the emotional distance that grew between him and his father, now King Charles III, after his marriage to Queen Camilla.
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Harry would later find his happiness with actress Meghan Markle, marrying her in May 2018 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Their wedding was watched by an estimated 1.9 billion viewers around the world, becoming one of the most widely viewed televised events in history.
In their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the couple shared personal footage and reflections from their big day. Meghan recalled, “On the day of our wedding, it’s like I went into a calm space. I don’t know how I was so calm… All I wanted was a mimosa, a croissant. And to play the song ‘Going to the Chapel.’ Oh, that’s what I did. And it was great.” The ceremony was followed by a luncheon reception at St George’s Hall, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, attended by all 600 guests.
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