Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave chapel after 2018 wedding

Close friend of the Duke of Sussex Jack Mann tied the knot this weekend, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sadly did not attend. Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding in 2018, there were indications that Mann was more than just an usher, but actually his ‘real’ best man, as opposed to Prince William. Because of this, many were saddened by the Sussexes absence over the weekend when Mann celebrated his own nuptials.

Mann, aged 40, tied the knot with osteopath Isabella Clark at St Peter’s Church in Stutton over the weekend.

Notable guests included Thomas van Straubenzee, a close friend of Prince Harry and the godfather of Princess Charlotte.

He was accompanied by his wife Lucy, who holds a position as an assistant head at Thomas’s, the former school attended by Charlotte and Prince George.

The level of closeness between Harry and Mann remains uncertain, as their friendship initially blossomed during their time at Sandhurst, where both were commissioned into the Blues and Royals.

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In the Duke’s controversial memoir Spare, which was published earlier this year, Harry candidly acknowledged a falling-out with certain old acquaintances after he openly criticised the Royal Family on television.

While Mann may be considered the true best man, Prince William actually filled that position and at the time the Palace said he was “honoured to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother at St George’s Chapel”.

This marks a departure from the conventional royal traditions of referring to the best man position as a “supporter”.

For instance, during Prince Charles’ wedding to Princess Diana in 1981, he selected his brothers Andrew and Edward as supporters.

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According to royal expert Marlene Koenig, Prince William’s responsibilities as best man didn’t differ significantly from those of any other individual in that role.

His primary objective was to ensure the smooth execution of the wedding proceedings.

Ms Koenig said at the time: “The two brothers are close in age and close friends.

“They depend on each other and trust each other.”

She said William is specifically in charge of providing “moral support, [holding] the ring, and being a good big brother, and, of course, hosting the inevitable stag party.”

Meanwhile, in another chapter of Harry’s bombshell memoir, the Duke revealed he was not William’s best man, as was announced at the time.

William’s friends, James Meade and Thomas van Straubenzee, were the best men.

He wrote: “The public had been told that I was to be best man, but that was a bare-faced lie.

“The public expected me to be best man, and thus the Palace saw no choice but to say that I was.

“In truth, Willy didn’t want me giving a best-man speech.

“He didn’t think it safe to hand me a live mic and put me in a position to go off script. I might say something wildly inappropriate. He wasn’t wrong.”

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