A STRICTLY star, a nightclub mogul and an “extreme ginger”.
No, it’s not the latest line-up in a radical revamp of Guess Who? but the glamorous members of Prince Harry’s inner circle.
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The Duke of Sussex’s pals have back in the spotlight since he made a solo trip to the UK last week without wife Meghan Markle to pay tribute to his late uncle Lord Fellowes.
Sources close to his inner circle have noted he enjoys making regular trips to Britain and is feeling “more and more isolated in California”.
It was claimed Harry has been weighing up options, including a mooted UK return, though insiders say no “blueprint” for such plans has been made.
Furthermore, one “dear friend” of the duke’s has been making a particular splash – after being poached by his brother.
We revealed how chef and humanitarian José Andrés – who has been pals with the Sussexes for the past four-and-a-half years – has been taken on by Prince William to lead his £50million global eco-project The Earthshot Prize.
So who are the diverse – and sometimes famous – faces who have guided Harry over the years?
Many are from his days in the Armed Forces, which royal expert Phil Dampier says were when he was “happiest”.
He tells The Sun: “I think that’s because to some extent he was out of the public eye and could identify with something he’s always wanted to do.
“He always wanted to be a soldier from a very young age.
“Unfortunately, when he fled to California with Meghan and stopped his royal duties, he was stripped of all his military connections, and I think that must’ve been a massive blow to him.
“He somehow thought he could keep a lot of his duties and titles but the late Queen made it clear he couldn’t be half in and half out.”
We reveal the friends Harry has turned to over the decades, including a Strictly Come Dancing star and the richest person under 40 in the UK.
Nacho Figueras
Arguably the most famous polo player in the world, Nacho Figueras and Harry have been friends for many years, having played in numerous charity matches together, as recently as April of this year.
The former Ralph Lauren model was once named the second most handsome person in the world by Vanity Fair readers, and has been dubbed “the David Beckham of polo”.
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Nacho, who attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding with his wife Delfina Blaquier, has previously opened up on his friendship with the Prince, admitting they are in contact a lot.
He told Hello: “It’s always great to be with him and doing something we love, which is playing polo.
“We speak very often, which is amazing to be able to have a friendship that feels like – sometimes we’re not together-together – so it’s always a good thing to be able to share that with someone.”
Tom Inskip
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Tom “Skippy” Inskip is one of Harry’s oldest friends, having met when they were both at Eton.
The son of Owen Inskip, a friend of King Charles and David Cameron, Tom was known as Harry’s “wingman” in their youth, often accompanying him to nightclubs and on holiday.
He was even the organiser of the infamous Vegas bash.
However, while Harry and Meghan both went to Tom’s wedding to Hon Lara Hughes-Young in 2017, Tom didn’t make the cut for Harry and Meghan’s evening party at Frogmore House on their big day.
In their book Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed how Tom believed it to have been punishment for voicing his concerns over their relationship.
And he apparently made his feelings clear at a brunch the next day, after not being invited.
Omid and Carolyn wrote: “Skippy told friends ‘Meghan has changed Harry too much.’ His Eton friend said the prince was awed by the likes of the Clooneys and Oprah.
“‘We’ve lost him,’ Skippy concluded.”
They revealed how Tom had warned Harry he and Meghan were moving too quickly, which “came from a good place,” but Harry “didn’t totally see it that way.”
Their rift has since reportedly healed following the sad death of Tom’s mother-in-law.
Guy Pelly
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Nightclub owner Guy Pelly is still friends with both the Prince of Wales and Harry, even being dubbed the “third brother”.
Guy’s mum Lady Carolyn Herbert was close friends with Diana, and both princes attended his wedding to Elizabeth Wilson in 2014.
He also planned William’s stag do in 2011, and is godfather to his youngest son Prince Louis, and partied with a young Kate Middleton in 2006.
Known as the “court jester” within Harry and William’s friend groups, he’s one of the very few people who could heal their rift.
He was seen out partying at Koko in Camden with William last year, and also reportedly visited Meghan and Harry in California in September 2020.
He’s also incredibly loyal to both brothers.
Despite having been asked to appear on Have I Got News For You, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and even Strictly, Guy has always refused, never publicly speaking about his friendship with the royals.
The van Straubenzee brothers
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Charlie, Thomas and Henry van Straubenzee, as well as their mum Claire, were like a “second family” to Harry and William growing up.
And they became even closer when Henry died in a car crash in 2002, which took Harry back to the night Diana died, as it was “just like mummy”.
Charlie and Thomas were both ushers at Harry’s wedding to Meghan, and the couple attended Charlie’s wedding to Daisy Jenks in August 2018 too.
Harry is also godfather to Charlie’s four-year-old daughter Clover while Charlie is godfather to his five-year-old son Prince Archie.
Harry and Charlie have been photographed together on multiple occasions, including the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and Harry’s move to the States doesn’t seem to have affected their friendship.
They were seen cycling around Montecito together in May, 2022.
Meanwhile, Thomas is closer to William, often described as his best friend.
Both William and Harry were guests at Thomas’ first wedding to Lady Melissa Percy in 2013, and Thomas is the godfather of William’s daughter Princess Charlotte.
Thomas even married Princess Charlotte and Prince George’s teacher Lucy Lanigan-O’Keeffe in 2020, after being set up by William and Kate.
Mark Dyer
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King Charles’ former bodyguard Mark Dyer is said to be “the only one who could settle the feud between Harry and William”.
Both Princes consider him to be a “second father,” as he tutored them during their childhood and cared for them after Diana died.
And Harry has joked he looked up to Mark for being “an extreme ginger and owning it”.
Royal biographer Penny Junor described Mark as one of the “few people who can talk sense into [Harry]” and he accompanied him on all his travels during his gap year.
He was even the person Harry confessed to smoking cannabis to, and went with him to a residential facility for drug users, when Charles forced him to spend a day there, and also knew about Harry having sex in a field.
Harry served as an usher at Mark’s 2010 wedding, and he was a guest at Harry and Meghan’s nuptials too.
Harry is also Mark’s son Jasper’s godfather, while Mark is godfather to Archie.
JJ Chalmers
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Harry first met Strictly star JJ Chalmers when they were both in the military, and has remained close with him, working on the Invictus Games together.
The pair were seen laughing together at a wheelchair basketball game between UK and Ukraine at the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.
And JJ has opened up about their sons being “similar”, revealing both Archie and his son James share a love of kids’ TV show The Octonauts.
He said: “I know that Archie loves The Octonauts and my son James loves it, too. The kids are a similar age and have similar interests.”
Duke of Westminster
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With a £10bn fortune, the Duke of Westminster, 33, is the richest person under 40 in the UK.
Hugh Grosvenor widely lives out of the spotlight, but his family are close to the royals, as his mother Natalia Grosvenor, is Prince William’s godmother, and Hugh is godfather to Prince George.
He had a 21st birthday party that cost £5m at Eton Hall, at which Michael McIntyre and Rizzle Kicks performed, and a recent huge wedding.
However, Harry didn’t attend his pal’s big day, as it took place a few days after daughter Lilibet celebrated her third birthday.
Arthur Landon
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Film producer Arthur Landon, 43, has been a long-time close friend to both Harry and William, and attended both of their weddings.
He was even in Las Vegas with Harry in 2012, when those infamous pictures of him playing a drunken game of strip pool were leaked.
Arthur, who has also dabbled in modelling, is one of Britain’s wealthiest young men after inheriting his father Brig. Tim Landon’s fortune in 2007, when he died.
The former army officer – known simply as The Brigadier – amassed his millions after he helped depose the Sultan of Oman in favour of his son, Sultan Qaboos, in 1970.
With rising oil prices, it’s believed he left about £500million to Arthur, but it’s more likely to have been £200million after tax and any charitable donations.
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho
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Harry met Prince Seeiso of Lesotho – the youngest brother of the King of Lesotho – on a trip to the African country, when he was 18 years old.
It wasn’t long after his mother, Princess Diana, had died, and the pair bonded quickly, due to Prince Seeiso also having lost his mum.
In the Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, Harry said: “Lesotho gave me the space and the freedom to breathe, to live and to grow.
“I’ve got a second family out there and a group of friends that literally brought me up.”
Prince Seeiso was one of the few foreign royals who bagged an invite to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018.
In 2006, he and Harry co-founded the charity Sentebale, which helps the most vulnerable people in southern Africa.
