Royal rift rumours as Duchess of Cornwall skips wedding to host ‘party for a few friends’
THE Duchess of Cornwall is not going to Princess Eugenie’s wedding because she is also hosting a shooting party at her Scottish home this weekend, sources have told The Daily Telegraph.
It was revealed this week that the Duchess will not attend tomorrow’s nuptials at Windsor Castle. She will be the only senior member of the Royal family to miss the celebration.
Clarence House has said the Duchess had a “previous commitment” attending a local school harvest festival near Birkhall, the Prince of Wales’s home at Balmoral. Two other jobs were also announced this week. But an insider said: “The truth is that Camilla has a house party for a few friends. They are arriving [tomorrow] and will be there over the weekend.
“The date of the wedding was known eight months ago so they don’t understand why Camilla organised her house party this weekend.”
The alleged “snub” will fuel rumours that there is a rift at the heart of the monarchy. The Duchess of Cornwall and Sarah, Duchess of York, have never seen eye to eye because of the latter’s loyalty to Diana, Princess of Wales, while there is also tension between the Prince of Wales and his younger brother, the Duke of York.
A source close to the couple denied there was any ill-feeling, saying: “They get on very well, the couple has no issue with it – they have known about the diary clash for some time.” They added that Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall “host events every day throughout this period every year”.
It is believed the Yorks tried to persuade the Duchess of Cornwall, 71, to attend but to no avail.
A source said: “It’s hard to see her turning down the invitation as anything other than a snub but she insists she has other engagements that she was invited to first.”
The Duchess’s no-show will be seen as opening up rifts at a time when the Royal family is riding a wave of popularity following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in May.
The Prince of Wales – who turns 70 next month – and his younger brother have different visions for the future. The Duke of York wants Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to have greater roles but the Prince believes the monarchy must be slimmed down to survive and show value for money.
The rest of the Royal family – including the Prince and 97-year-old Duke of Edinburgh – are expected to join the Queen for the 11am wedding at St George’s Chapel and at a castle reception afterwards, although a source said the Duke would make his mind up on the day. “He now operates on a ‘wake up and see how I feel’ basis,” they said.
Princess Eugenie, 28, and Jack Brooksbank, 32, have invited 850 guests, compared with 600 who attended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s nuptials. The wedding will be televised on ITV’S This Morning.
Afterwards, around 400 guests will go on to an evening reception at Royal Lodge, the Duke of York’s home.
Guests at the wedding include George and Amal Clooney, Tracey Emin, the artist and Robbie and Ayda Williams.
Elton John and Ed Sheeran have had to turn down their invitations because they are on tour.
The Prince of Wales last night spoke of his pride over his sons’ efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
In a pre-recorded message broadcast at the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference at St James’s Palace, he said: “I can only say how proud I am of the role William has played as a leader in this area, helping to raise the issue higher up the global agenda, including working with the Chinese government on the introduction of the ivory ban.”
He added: “For more than a decade, Harry has been engaging communities across Africa in order to try to help build a sustainable future for people and wildlife.”