Prince Harry’s rift with friend Hugh van Cutsem laid bare in Jeremy Clarkson’s show
Anyone who doubts the depths of the Duke of Sussex’s rift with some of his oldest and closest friends need look no further than the new series of Clarkson’s Farm.
Jeremy Clarkson was condemned by Prince Harry last year after he wrote a notorious article in The Sun, pointing out that he hated the Duchess of Sussex on “a cellular level”.
The Grand Tour star later apologised, but Harry’s spokesman declared: “What remains to be addressed is his longstanding pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny.”
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Yet, who should appear in episode seven of Clarkson’s Farm than one of the Duke’s oldest and previously closest friends.
Described by Clarkson as simply “Hugh”, he is Hugh van Cutsem, and is seen stalking deer with the star of the hit Amazon Prime show.
After Clarkson’s comments about Meghan, Hugh’s appearance alongside him would have been unthinkable were they still pals.
Hugh, 49, whose late father was one of King Charles’s oldest friends, has known Harry and Prince William all their lives.
William was senior usher at Hugh’s wedding, when he married Rose Astor in 2005, and is godfather to their daughter Grace.
Grace was a bridesmaid at William and Catherine’s wedding in 2011 and almost stole the show when she covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony because of the noise of the cheering crowds as the newlyweds kissed.
Hugh and Rose did their bit to make Meghan feel at home after she moved here, having her and Harry to supper at their house in West London.
They also attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018.
The first indication all may not have been well came in 2020 after the shock news that Harry and Meghan intended to “step back” as senior members of the Royal Family.
Rose, 44, mocked the dramatic announcement, joking 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.”
Harry confirmed his rift with the Van Cutsems in his memoir, Spare, revealing that Hugh’s mother, Emilie, and one of her four sons had contacted him to voice their fury after his interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Duke wrote: “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?”
Clearly, that rift has not healed.
