Prince Harry once lifted the lid on what really went on behind the scenes at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, admitting his very public role on the day was not quite what it seemed.
The Duke of Sussex, now 41, stood proudly beside his brother during the globally watched April 2011 ceremony at Westminster Abbey. To viewers, he appeared every inch the loyal best man. However, years later, Harry revealed that the title attached to him on the day was, in his own words, a “bare-faced lie”.
His candid remarks, shared in 2023, have resurfaced just as the Prince and Princess of Wales prepare to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary.
Prince Harry’s emotional take on William and Kate’s big day
Prince Harry, who asked William to be his own best man when he married in May 2018, opened up about the moment in his memoir Spare.
While he spoke warmly about his bond with Kate, he also admitted the day marked a turning point in his relationship with his brother.
He said: “I loved my new sister-in-law, I felt she was more sister than in-law. But in my gut, I couldn’t help feeling that this was yet another farewell under this horrid roof. Another sundering.
“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 then turned to the role he appeared to hold during the ceremony, revealing the reality behind the scenes.
He wrote: “The public had been told that I was to be Best Man, but that was a bare-faced lie.”
The public had been told that I was to be Best Man, but that was a bare-faced lie.
He also suggested expectations around the traditional speech were not quite accurate either.
“The public expected me to be the Best Man. And thus, the palace saw no choice but to say that I was,” he explained.
Why Prince William reportedly didn’t want Harry on the mic
According to Harry, there was a clear reason he was not chosen to deliver a traditional best man speech.
He wrote: “In truth, Willy didn’t want me giving a Best Man speech. He didn’t think it safe to hand me a live mic and put me in a position to go off script. I might say something wildly inappropriate. He wasn’t wrong.”
Harry went on to claim the decision to publicly name him as best man also served another purpose: protecting William’s close friends James Meade and Thomas van Straubenzee from intense media attention.
He suggested the pair instead stepped forward to speak on the groom’s behalf during the celebrations.
So who really stepped in as best man?
Harry explained: “Also, the lie gave cover to James and Thomas, two civilians, two innocents. Had they been outed as Willy’s best men, the rabid press would have chased them, tracked them, hacked them, investigated them, ruined their families’ lives. Both chaps were shy, quiet. They couldn’t handle such an onslaught and shouldn’t be expected to.”
Despite the unusual arrangement, Harry made it clear he was fully on board.
“Willy explained all this to me, and I didn’t blink. I understood. We even had a laugh about it, speculating about the inappropriate things I might’ve said in my speech,” he said.
He did, however, share a few impromptu words during the Buckingham Palace reception.
Looking back on the ceremony itself, Harry recalled the moment with a mix of admiration and finality: “I recall Kate walking down the aisle, looking incredible. And I recall Willy walking her back up the aisle. And as they disappeared through the door, into the carriage that would convey them to Buckingham Palace, into the eternal partnership they’d pledged, I recall thinking: Goodbye.”
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As William and Kate’s milestone anniversary approaches, Harry’s reflections offer a striking glimpse into what was happening behind palace doors on one of the most watched royal weddings in modern history.
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