Prince Harry's pal 'ditches' him after years of friendship to team up with Meghan's enemy

Prince Harry's former closest friend has added fuel to the rumours of a feud, after aligning himself with Meghan Markle's known foe, Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson, the erstwhile presenter of Top Gear, made waves in 2022 when he penned a controversial piece for The Sun, where he openly expressed his disdain for the Duchess of Sussex.

In his column, he fantasised about the Duchess being publicly humiliated - an idea later deemed sexist by media watchdogs. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex strongly denounced the article - which The Sun subsequently pulled - for propagating "hate rhetoric", "dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny". Now, it appears one of Prince Harry's long-time friends may have crossed over, as featured in an episode of Clarkson's popular Amazon Prime series, Clarkson's Farm.

Hugh van Cutsem, a childhood acquaintance of both Prince William and Harry, was seen deer stalking alongside Clarkson in the show's seventh episode, insinuating another ally has fallen out with the Royal, reports the Mirror.

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Hugh's father, also named Hugh, was a long-standing friend of King Charles, with their friendship dating back to their university days at Cambridge in the 1960s. The bond between the two families extended to their children, with William playing a significant role as senior usher at Hugh's wedding to Rose Astor in 2005 and serving as godfather to their daughter Grace.

Grace herself played a part in William and Catherine's wedding as a bridesmaid in 2011. The van Cutsems were also supportive when Meghan moved to the UK in 2017, and they attended the Sussexes' wedding the following year. However, the friendship began to show signs of strain just two years later.

Rose found herself in a controversial situation when she publicly made light of Harry and Meghan's decision to step down from their senior Royal roles. She posted on social media: "I am standing back as a senior member of my tax return because I'd rather drink coffee, see my friends, love my family and do yoga," Despite her subsequent apology, she cryptically added: "I can't say anything. I'm sure you understand. I'm going to be in so much trouble."

The father-of-two confirmed his rift with former childhood friend Hugh in his memoir Spare, as she revealed his wife Emilie had contacted him following the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. "Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie's sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy [Pettifer, his former nanny], had chastised me for Oprah. How could you reveal such things? About your family? " he recalled.