Where did Prince Harry’s mates go?
Of all the revelations in Harry & Meghan, the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary series, the fact that Prince Harry has “lost a few friends” since moving to California is hardly the most surprising. But it is perhaps one of the saddest; not only have Harry and Prince William drifted apart, but it seems the familiar clan of childhood friends the brothers were often seen with have slid away, too.
Over the three final episodes of the series, which follow the couple from their wedding day in 2018 and through “Megxit” to the present day, Meghan’s friends appear often on screen to defend her.
The cast includes American actor Tyler Perry, Meghan’s Suits co-star Abigail Spencer and TV producer Silver Tree as well as Lucy Fraser, reportedly a British PR executive. But Prince Harry’s tight-knit group of chums from years gone by don’t appear as talking heads.
However, in the fourth episode, the couple open up their wedding album with previously unseen pictures of their reception and evening party. One shot shows Harry with six of his friends – so, who are they, where are they now, and who’s missing from the frame?
1. Adam Bidwell
Bidwell, 46, is an old friend of Prince Harry’s and a fixture from the “party Prince” years. A keen rugby player, he now works as head of equity sales at Investec, a wealth management firm based in London and South Africa. Bidwell remains an ambassador for Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale and visits yearly, according to the charity’s website. He was pictured with Meghan in 2019 on Archie’s first public outing to watch Harry play at a charity polo match in Berkshire, but hasn't been seen with the couple since.
2. Lord Charles Vivan
An experienced PR director who reportedly met Prince Harry through a mutual friend and now works at Tavistock, a financial PR company.
3. Henry Warhurst
Formerly a regular fixture on Tatler’s Bystander society pages, Warhurst attended Stowe school and is the husband of Tamara Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (now Warhurst), the niece of the Princes’ former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke. He runs his own business, Henry’s Car Barn, a car storage facility and “private automotive member's club” in the Cotswolds.
4. Charlie Gilkes
A long-standing friend of both Harry and William from their Eton days, along with his brother Alexander. Gilkes is the co-founder of the Inception Group, which runs a string of bars and clubs in London including Bunga Bunga and Mr Foggs.
Prince Harry was pictured attending Gilkes’ wedding to Anneke von Trotha Taylor in 2014, along with Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton. The pair are said to have met up for a pub night in April when Harry stopped in the UK on the way to the Invictus Games.
5. Jack Mann
Mann is a Sandhurst contemporary of Harry’s, who served alongside him in the Blues and Royals, and was at one point tipped to be best man, although they are said to have lost touch since the wedding. He is the son of Simon Mann, an SAS officer turned mercenary, and the grandson of former England cricket captain George Mann. His father was involved in the 2004 “Wonga” coup to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea and was subsequently imprisoned in Zimbabwe.
6. Mark Dyer
A long-term friend and older brother figure, Dyer was Prince Harry’s mentor and acted as a “second dad” in the wake of Princess Diana’s death. He is a former captain in the Welsh Guards who served as an equerry to King Charles. His son, Jasper, is reportedly Prince Harry’s godson and was a pageboy at their wedding in 2018.
…and who’s missing missing from the line-up?
Tom Inskip
Formerly a shoo-in for Archie’s godfather, “Skippy” and Harry have been inseparable since school. Inskip was also on the guest list for the raucous 2012 trip to Las Vegas when Harry was pictured playing strip billiards.
Inskip's wedding to the Hon Lara Hughes-Young in 2017, at which Harry is rumoured to have been best man, was one of the first events Meghan and Harry attended as a couple. Harry and Skippy were thick as thieves – that is until he reportedly suggested that Harry move in with Meghan before “doing anything more serious”, and subsequently didn’t make the list for the Royal wedding after-party.
Guy Pelly
Pelly is another long-standing pal of both princes and godfather to Prince Louis. Pelly is a nightclub entrepreneur and former owner of London’s Mahiki. Some reports say he and Harry have lost touch, but he is alleged to have been invited to California to visit Harry and Meghan along with his American wife, Holiday Inn heiress Elizabeth Wilson.
