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Harry’s friend circle breaks down

Some of Prince Harry’s friends are “genuinely disgusted” and “very hurt” by the revelations he has made in his book, TV shows and interviews, a royal expert said this week, after it emerged that Harry did not attend the wedding of his “real” best man.

Harry was not present at the nuptials of Jack Mann, an old pal who was widely rumored to be Harry’s actual best man, although, as he wrote in his memoir, he and Prince William told the media that William was his best man to create an impression of brotherly togetherness.

Mann’s wedding took place last weekend at a country church in Suffolk, and this week the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English told podcast Palace Confidential, “From what I hear there are a lot of people who are genuinely disgusted by what he’s done since leaving the Royal Family. They feel very hurt by some of the revelations that he’s made. As they were growing up William and Harry created a very close-knit circle of friends around each other.”

Harry posed for a photo with Mann and a crew of his closest friends—including Adam Bidwell, Henry Warhurst, Charlie Gilkes and Mark Dyer­­—at Windsor Castle on the night of the royal wedding. The photo was featured in his Netflix documentary.

He is no longer believed to be on close terms with several of the “band of brothers”, and wrote in his book: “Several close mates and beloved figures in my life had chastised me for Oprah. How could you reveal such things? About your family?

“I told them that I failed to see how speaking to Oprah was any different from what my family and their staffs had done for decades — briefing the press on the sly, planting stories… The only difference was that Meg and I were upfront about it.”

Seems not everyone agrees.

William “couldn’t eat” before Oprah interview aired

Prince William was so sick with worry before Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired that he lost his appetite, it has been claimed.

Per the Mirror, Daily Mail editor-at-large Charlotte Griffiths told GB News: “What I find quite surprising, and I’ve heard this for a long time now from many different sources, is that in the lead up to that Oprah interview, William was quite literally sick with worry.

“He was not eating, and he became, not reclusive, but he definitely was hiding away. He went to a royal residence for a period of time to cut himself off from the world. He was just in bits, basically.”

She continued: “What Kate (Middleton) was doing was standing by her man. Kate was like: ‘I’ve got to stick up for this guy and protect him. He’s being destroyed by this.’ That probably made her quite steely even though she has this reputation for being shy. But when it comes to protecting her husband, she’s going to step in and protect him.”

Harry’s U.S. popularity climbs

A nice boost for Harry in new data from polling firm YouGov, reported by Newsweek, which suggests that Harry is (once again) more popular than his brother William. Harry was once the golden boy in U.S. eyes, but his popularity rating plummeted after the release of his memoir Spare, from +52 to +7. His and wife Meghan Markle’s perceived lack of popularity was also reflected in their split from Spotify deal, which saw them labeled “fucking grifters” by the streamer’s Bill Simmons.

Now however the tide may have turned, with YouGov saying Harry has an approval rating of +24 compared to William on +22. Meghan gets just +17, based on 40% liking her and 23% disliking her.

Kate, as always, comes up smelling of roses, with a net rating of +35.

The poll is based on 1,500 interviews conducted between April and June.

Biden to meet Charles on U.K. visit

President Joe Biden will discuss climate change with King Charles, on a whistlestop visit to Britain, the AP reports. Biden will also hold talks with British PM Rishi Sunak before they head off to a NATO summit in Lithuania.

The president will meet the king at Windsor Castle where Queen Elizabeth hosted Barack Obama in 2016 and Trump in 2018. The meeting follows First Lady Dr. Jill Biden attending Charles’ coronation—and Joe and Jill Biden attending the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

After Biden and Charles met at the COP26 U.N. climate summit, Biden told him, “We need you badly.”

“You are very kind for saying that,” Charles replied.

Sexism and palace pay

The King’s male private secretary is paid more than double the salary of the Queen’s female top aide, the Sunday Times recently reported after analyzing the annual sovereign grant report. Figures published for the first time reveal that Sir Clive Alderton, Charles’s right-hand man, is paid between £205,000 and £210,000, while Sophie Densham, Camilla’s private secretary, receives between £90,000 and £95,000. A former senior courtier told the paper: “I’m really shocked by the disparity and I’m astonished by Sophie’s salary—that is a kick in the teeth. She is a real grafter, and hers is a massive, bloody busy job.”

A Buckingham Palace official said: “Her [Densham] remuneration package is set to a comparable position of the private secretary to the late Duke of Edinburgh.” A royal source who knows Alderton and Densham well told the paper: “Whether you think there’s a disparity in the pay because of their sex, rather than their seniority, there is a question there. Sophie is known as being a very capable and dedicated support to the queen.”

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This week in royal history

On July 9, 1982, intruder Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace, and engaged the queen in conversation in her bedroom before palace security guards removed him.

Unanswered questions

What will Biden and Charles chat about? What next for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson after King Charles reportedly let them stay at Royal Lodge following her breast cancer diagnosis and surgery?