King and Queen ‘could ditch wedding of the year’ amid ’20-year wedding row’

The King and Queen could be pulling off what has been dubbed the high society ‘wedding of the year’, with the wedding just three weeks away. The couple have not confirmed in writing whether they will attend the wedding of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, and his fiancee Olivia Henson, sparking rumors of tensions between the families.

Twenty years ago, the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles refused an invitation to the wedding of the duke’s sister, Lady Tamara Grosvenor. She married Edward van Custem, a son of the King, at Chester Cathedral, the same venue set for next month’s wedding.

At the time, Camilla was informed that she would not be seated with Prince Charles and would have to arrive separately and sit several rows behind, while other members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, together with Princes William and Harry, were to attend. MailOnline’s royal correspondent Richard Eden quoted a source as saying: ‘Their Majesties have not forgotten what happened at Hugh’s sister’s wedding. There is still a lot of tension.”

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Royal author Sarah Bradford said the late Queen told Charles frankly that maintaining their usual position was unbearable. A source said at the time: “His Majesty is a stickler for protocol. It would be inappropriate for Mrs Parker Bowles to sit next to Prince Charles as she has no official capacity,” reports the Mirror.

Tensions between the royal factions have been deepened by allegations that Emilie van Cutsem, the groom’s mother, and Camilla fell out over criticism of their children’s manners. Charles eventually excused his absence from the event with days to spare, saying he had instead to visit Warminster Barracks to meet the families of soldiers deployed to Iraq, while claiming his partner was ” otherwise employed”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had already been left off the guest list for this year’s wedding, despite Hugh being godfather to their son Archie. There was speculation that the Duke of Westminster believed that inviting the controversial couple, who allegedly received a save-the-date email by mistake, could fuel tensions within the royal family.

But a source close to Harry and Meghan said: “Harry called Hugh and said it would be too awkward if he and Meghan Markle were there, so he apologized and Hugh understood.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales were invited, along with their older son Prince George, who is also Hugh’s son. But the princess was not expected to attend due to her cancer treatment.

Buckingham Palace did not comment.