Suicide tragedy for Harry’s girl
Respected family man ‘plagued by depression and f inancial problems’
PRINCE Harry was said to be in shock last night after the father of one of his closest friends committed suicide.
Charles Harbord, who shot himself at his family home, was the father of socialite Astrid, who became especially close to Harry in 2009 after he split from girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
It is thought the Harrow-educated aristocrat had been depressed since financial problems forced him to sell the family home 18 months ago and move into a rented apartment.
His daughter Astrid is a member of Harry’s inner social circle and one of a handful of close friends who attended the Duchess of Cambridge’s hen party last year.
Speaking outside Wyke Hall, near Gillingham, Dorset, where her father’s body was found with fatal gunshot wounds on Tuesday, Astrid said it was too early to speak openly about the family’s loss.
She told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We’re not quite ready to talk publicly. All I will say is that he was an amazing father. To everyone who knew him he was a legend.’
A friend of the family said: ‘Prince Harry is bound to be devastated and very concerned. I’m sure he will have been in touch. He’s close to Astrid and her sister Davina.’
Police are still investigating the exact circumstances of Mr Harbord’s death, but neighbours were in shock. One said: ‘The police came around and were asking questions of the closest neighbours.
‘When I heard it was Charles, I refused to believe it. He was an absolutely lovely man. The family have only been here about 18 months and they are very private. But they are well-liked and friendly.’
A friend of Mr Harbord’s said it was widely assumed the family had encountered financial difficulties.
‘I think, like so many people, they have been hit by the state of the economy,’ he said.
The 68-year-old, who was married to second wife Sarah-Juliet, ran a newsletter for historic motor enthusiasts called Cars For The Connoisseur. The publication was founded in 2001 ‘to record the memories and reminiscences of characters from the world of motoring’. Its
website states that its outlook is ‘unashamedly nostalgic’.
Mr Harbord leaves two daughters, Astrid, 30, who runs her own PR company, and 26-year-old Davina. Together they were nicknamed ‘The Hardcore Sisters’ for their love of partying with the Royal set.
A source close to the Harbord family added: ‘It is just so shocking what has happened. I think Charles was very depressed, and it was because of money troubles.’
In 2010, the family sold their £760,000 home in Wiltshire to move into one of the ten apartments within Wyke Hall, a converted, Grade II listed manor house, parts of which date back more than 500 years.
‘It’s like a country house divided into lots of smaller houses,’ said one source. ‘They are often described as a millionaire family, but they were far from millionaires. They weren’t on the dole but I don’t think there was much money coming in.’
At their former home near Salisbury, neighbours remembered Mr Harbord as an intensely private man. ‘Charles could be a bit preoccupied – he wouldn’t always say hello if he passed you in the street,’ said one. He ran his car magazine from an office in the house and you would often see the light on there deep into the night.
‘We got talking to him and SarahJuliet at the local Dinton jazz festival. He was a huge jazz fan..’
His daughters enjoyed a more lively social life with the young Royals. In March 2009, history graduate Astrid was seen going back to Clarence House with Prince Harry at 3am following a night on the town. Their chauffeur-driven car entered the Palace by a back gate reserved for members of the Royal Family.
A month later it emerged that Harry had attended an illegal rave – or ‘Raav’ as it was called by its affluent attendees – with the Harbord sisters and 400 other revellers in a repossessed office block in Whitechapel, East London. The Prince left the ‘Dress2Sweat’ event at 1.30am with Miss Harbord.
His decision to attend the party in an area known for a high crime rate later raised questions about his judgment and safety. Soon afterwards, Astrid, dubbed the ‘coolest blonde to leave Bristol [university] since Jemima Khan’ by society magazine Tatler, embarked on twoyear relationship with banking heir James Rothschild. She was said to be devastated when they broke up in September 2011.
James is the son of Amschel Rothschild who, in a tragic coincidence, committed suicide in Paris hotel room in July 1996, aged 41.
Astrid’s younger sister Davina, a property agent who was educated at £26,700-a-year Tudor Hall school near Banbury, Oxfordshire, is believed to be dating Julian Rufus Isaacs, Viscount Erleigh. The city banker, who introduced Prince Harry to Miss Davy, is the son of Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading, a lifelong friend of Prince Charles.
The Harbords, who are listed in society bible Burke’s Peerage, boast an impeccable lineage. They are descended from landowner and Norwich MP, Harbord Harbord, who was made Baron Suffield by Prime Minister William Pitt in 1786.
Last night a Dorset police spokeswoman said of Mr Harbord’s death: ‘There are no suspicious circumstances and the coroner is now dealing with this.
‘An inquest was opened and adjourned on May 24 at the Coroner’s Court in Dorchester.’