Prince Harry's close friend, Hugh van Cutsem, has partnered with none other than Jeremy Clarkson, delivering what can only be described as a blatant snub to Harry and Meghan Markle.
For anyone who doubts the depth of the Duke of Sussex's rift with some of his oldest and closest friends, the new series of "Clarkson's Farm" serves as a clear indication. Jeremy Clarkson, as you might recall, faced sharp criticism from Prince Harry last year for writing a notorious article in The Sun. In this article, Clarkson expressed his intense hatred for Meghan, stating he despised her on a cellular level.
He disturbingly added that he wanted to see her paraded naked through the streets while people threw excrement at her. Although Jeremy later apologized, Harry's spokesman pointed out that Clarkson’s apology did not address his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate, conspiracy theories, and misogyny. Given Clarkson’s comments about Meghan, Hugh's appearance alongside him would have been unthinkable if he and Harry were still best friends.
Hugh, whose late father was one of King Charles's oldest friends, has known Harry and Prince William all their lives. William was the senior usher at Hugh's wedding to Rose Astor in 2005 and is the godfather to their daughter Grace. Grace almost stole the show as a bridesmaid at William and Catherine's wedding six years later when she covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony due to the noise from the cheering crowds as the newlyweds kissed. Hugh and Rose went out of their way to make Meghan feel at home after she moved to the UK, even inviting her and Harry to supper at their West London house. They also attended Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018.
The first clue that things might not be rosy between the van Cutsems and the Sussexes came in 2020 after Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step back as senior members of the royal family. Hugh's wife, Rose, publicly mocked the announcement, joking on social media, "I'm standing back as a senior member of my tax return" because she preferred drinking coffee, seeing friends, loving her family, and doing yoga over keeping receipts and doing math, which she found detrimental to her health. She later declined to discuss her comments, saying, "I'm so sorry I can't say anything. I'm sure you understand. I'm going to be in so much trouble."
Rose led the membership committee at Soho Farmhouse, the exclusive Oxfordshire club where Meghan held her hen party and where she and Harry often escaped during the early months of their marriage. In his 2023 memoir, "Spare," Harry confirmed his rift with the van Cutsems, revealing that Hugh's mother Emily and one of her sons had contacted him to express their anger after his explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry wrote that several close mates and beloved figures in his life, including one of Hugh and Emily's sons, Emily herself, and even Tiggy Pettifer, his former nanny, had chastised him for the Oprah interview, asking, "How could you reveal such things about your family?"
And let's not forget the cherry on top: Jeremy Clarkson, a man who's no stranger to controversy, especially when it comes to Meghan Markle. Yet, there he was, mingling with Harry's friend as if his satirical comments about Meghan were just water under the bridge. But the real tragedy here is Harry and Meghan's ever-shrinking social circle. It's becoming painfully obvious that their brand of drama and antics isn't winning them any friends in high places. Harry knows he broke the strict upper-class code. Selling out family secrets and personal interactions for a quick buck has its price, and it seems the cost is invitations.
