Who can Prince Harry call a friend these days as he enjoys sushi date with Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow?

Am I the only one imagining Prince Harry’s body mannerisms and emotions as he enjoyed a sushi date not only with Meghan Markle, but with celebrity couple Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Brad Falchuk? Although he has become accustomed to to mixing with Hollywood’s elite, thanks to wife Meghan, (think Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, the list goes on), it still must be kind of surreal for the Prince to be mixing with stars he used to watch (like the rest us of us) only in movies or when he met them through his work as a senior member of the royal family.

According to Page Six, “The foursome was also accompanied by Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden, as well as the CEO and founder of Bumble, Whitney Wolf Herd and her husband, Texas oil heir MIchael Herd.” 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s sushi date with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz is obviously worlds apart from his former life back in the UK, but I just wonder just how comfortable Prince Harry feels in his current life and the one he has left behind back home?

Although Prince Harry looked to be enjoying his chats with Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, as well as Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, there is no question he must have felt incredibly ‘alone’ and ‘isolated’ at the coronation.

Prince Harry not only had to walk in alone to the coronation as his wife Meghan Markle chose to stay behind in Montecito, but he had to sit in the third row. Although his brother, Prince William, was only a few rows ahead, the physical and emotional gulf between them seemed to be even more acute as the coronation unfolded. 

So, the question is, who can Prince Harry count on as his friend now that he is no longer a senior working royal and based in the UK? Are Meghan Markle’s Hollywood friends now his ‘friends? Or can he still rely on his oldest pals and significant people in his old royal life such as Jack Mann, Guy Pelly, the Van Straubenzee brothers, Charlie and Thomas, Mark Dyer, and his old nanny, Alexandra Pettifer (better known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke)?

PeopleWorld takes a look at his relationships with these key figures from his past

Jack Mann

There are some people who you meet at school and university who become friends for life. Jack Mann looked to be one of these ‘people’ for Prince Harry. The pair met at Sandhurst where they were officer cadets and Jack was an usher at the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle. It was even reported that Jack was actually not an usher, but was Prince Harry’s ‘real’ best man instead of Prince William.

In January 2023, Jack Man got engaged to osteopath Isabella Clark and it was thought that Prince Harry would return to the UK for their wedding. However at the time of writing, there are no reports that the wedding has taken place yet or whether Prince Harry will attend. 

Guy Pelly

Prince Harry and Guy Pelly have known each other since childhood and Guy is the godfather of Prince Louis as he is also friends with Prince William. Former nightclub boss Guy Pelly was by Prince Harry’s side dressed as the Queen when Prince Harry was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform to a private fancy dress party. According to the Daily Mail, “When he (Guy) was erroneously blamed by Palace officials for introducing the teenage Harry to drugs, and ostensibly cast out of the royal circle, he didn’t complain and stayed silent.”

As well as attending Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, he and his wife Elizabeth Wilson and their daughter, Willow are believed to have visited the couple in California. 

Thomas and Charlie Straubenzee

Like Guy Pelly, Thomas and Charlie Straubenzee have both a Prince William and a Prince Harry connection. They attended the same preparatory school, Ludgrove School as the Princes and Prince Harry mentioned Thomas, Charlie and their late brother Henry in his memoir, Spare. Henry Straubenzee died in a car crash in 2002 and Prince Harry and Prince William both attended a carol concert for the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund at a church in London’s Chelsea in December 2022.  Thomas is godfather to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ daughter, Princess Charlotte.

It is not known if Prince Harry is still in touch with the brothers, but the fact that Thomas is godfather to Princess Charlotte might indicate that he is now closer to Prince William. Charlie van Straubenzee is reported however to be godfather to Prince Archie, along with Mark Dyer and Tiggy Pettifer. 

Mark Dyer

Former Welsh Guards officer Mark Dyer and former royal equerry was seen as a ‘second Dad’ to Prince Harry, and his son, Jasper, is Prince Harry’s godson. According to reports, he was appointed by King Charles (then Prince Charles) to keep an eye on both his sons and his friendship continued with Prince Harry into adulthood as he accompanied him to Australia, Argentina and Lesotho during Harry’s gap year.

Mark Dyer, who has recently won his battle with stomach cancer, is also godfather to Prince Archie. As he has been made a godfather to Prince Archie, this suggests that Prince Harry still holds Mark Dyer in high regard.

Alexandra Pettifer (better known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke)

Although Alexandra Pettifer (Tiggy Legge-Bourke) was Prince William and Harry’s nanny rather than friend, her influence in both of their lives cannot be underestimated. Prince Harry has remained very close to her and she was one of the select few who was invited to the christening of Prince Archie. According to The Sun, Prince Harry “introduced Meghan to her when the couple started dating, with the former nanny also invited to their wedding…”

Prince Harry is godfather to her son Fred, and Tiggy is reported to be godmother to Prince Archie.