Megxit piles pressure on a second set of brothers
THE aristocracy can be sooo demanding, don’t you find? The 9th Duke of Wellington is advertising for a steward to care for his family pile, Stratfield Saye House in Hampshire. But Arthur Charles Wellesley, 74, doesn’t want any old Tom, Dick or Harry. No, you’ll need ‘leadership skills, an interest in works of art and their care, experience of housekeeping, good management skills, flexibility to respond to short notice requests, exceptional team spirit, discretion, to be 100 per cent trustworthy, have an eye for detail, accept only the highest standards and be prepared to go that extra yard.’ Anything else, Your Grace?
THE painful gulf that has opened between Princes William and Harry is in danger of forcing a wedge between another pair of upper-crust brothers, I can reveal.
The Van Straubenzee boys, Thomas and Charles, have been close friends and confidants of the Royal brothers for years. But in the aftermath of Harry’s controversial decision to move to Canada they are being pulled in opposing directions – with William turning to Tom for support during the current crisis and Harry leaning on Charlie.
Not surprisingly, the situation has left the Van Straubenzees feeling very torn. Their friendship with the Princes goes all the way back to their prep school days at Ludgrove and they played prominent roles in the Princes’ weddings.
Later, Tom became godfather to William’s daughter Princess Charlotte while Charlie is reportedly godfather to Harry’s son Archie.
A source said: ‘William has told Tom he’s barely speaking to Harry, and says he thinks of Tom as more of a brother than Harry. The rift has meant William has been relying on Tom more and more.’
Tom, 38, who heads the private office of estate agent Knight Frank, joined William, 37, in New Zealand on his first tour abroad back in 2005, and made a speech at William and Kate’s wedding in 2011.
Tom and fiancee Lucy LaniganO’Keeffe, 31, were invited to Sandringham at Christmas. The source said: ‘Lucy and Tom have been attending Royal Family events regularly, more than Harry and Meghan ever have.’ It’s understood the Duchess of Cambridge confided in Lucy over her worries about William and Harry.
Meanwhile, Harry, 35, has turned to Charlie, 31, one of the few old friends he’s still in contact with after cutting off other chums six months into Meghan’s pregnancy.
A friend of Charlie and his wife Daisy Jenks said: ‘Meghan approves of Charlie because she adores his wife – they bonded over their love of shoes. She never got the public schoolboy humour when it came to the rest of Harry’s pals and found it difficult to open up to them.’
The Van Straubenzees were unavailable for comment, but the source said: ‘This is a delicate and tricky situation for the brothers and their partners to navigate.’