Prince Harry Could Be Overlooked For This Important Role Within the Royal Fold

It could go to Prince William

Prince William has already decided to 'ban' Harry from his coronation, according to insiders
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Harry is great friends with Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, who has just welcomed his first child with wife Olivia Grosvenor née Henson, now the Duchess of Westminster. But for several reasons, it's believed that the Duke of Sussex could unfortunately miss out on becoming godfather to Hugh and Olivia's baby daughter, named Cosima Florence Grosvenor. The little girl was born this past weekend, with her parents having tied the knot in June 2024.

Firstly, as reported by Hello!, Harry skipped the wedding last year, something which he reportedly agreed upon in advance with Hugh. Since Prince William was already attending, Harry's attendance - and therefore the rare reunion with his estranged brother - would have majorly distracted from the bride and groom on their big day. Secondly, the simple fact of Harry's location in California makes him a less obvious choice for godfather than his brother William, who lives close by in the UK.

The reason there's speculation about one of the royal brothers becoming godfather to Cosima in the first place is that Hugh is himself godfather to Prince George, and is also thought to be godfather to Prince Archie. Meanwhile, King Charles is Hugh's godfather, and Hugh's mum is William's godmother.

The royals traditionally have many godparents each, and many of the senior royals are also godparents to many children themselves. For example, William has at least three godchildren, while Harry has said that he's godfather to "five or six" children. Prince George has a whopping seven godparents, Princess Charlotte has five, and Prince Louis has six. It's not known exactly how many godparents Prince Archie has, but four people have been named in reports as having that privilege. Again, it's not known how many godparents Princess Lilibet has, but we do know that her parents' friend Tyler Perry is her godfather.

Iris Goldsztajn
Freelance News Writer

Iris Goldsztajn is a freelance news writer for Marie Claire UK. She covers celebrity and royal news, and has previously written for titles including Marie Claire US, InStlyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red.

Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, she is especially interested in debunking diet culture and de-stigmatising mental health struggles.