Prince Harry ‘left Kate Middleton in tears’ during his best man speech at her wedding
He played a big role at the 2011 nuptials
When Prince Harry stood up to give his best man speech at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding, all eyes were on the royal.
As the future king’s younger brother and often dubbed the royal rebel, there may have been understandable tension about what Harry might say.
But to everyone’s surprise, Harry apparently delivered a heartfelt, funny, and emotional tribute, one that moved the now-Princess of Wales to tears, according to a royal book.
Prince Harry at William and Kate’s wedding in 2011 (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Prince Harry’s best man speech at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding
In his 2021 book, Brothers and Wives, royal author Christopher Andersen claimed that the Duke of Sussex opened with a cheeky jab in the speech.
“In his best man’s toast, Harry apologised to Kate ‘for having to marry a bald man,’” Andersen wrote, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Harry then reportedly affectionately poked fun at his brother’s “cooing” voice when speaking to Kate during their courtship, using the pet name “Babykins”.
He even gave the couple a cheeky new nickname: “The dude and the duchess.”
There were muffled sobs when Harry told his brother, ‘Our mother would be so very proud of you.’
But the lighthearted tone soon gave way to something more emotional. In one particularly moving moment, Harry reportedly referenced their late mother, Princess Diana.
“There were muffled sobs when Harry told his brother, ‘Our mother would be so very proud of you,’” Anderson wrote.
Harry then apparently turned to Kate directly, telling her he loved her like a sister. Anderson said at one point, “the bride wiped away tears when her newly minted brother-in-law traded smiles with Chelsy [Davey, Harry’s ex-girlfriend] and admitted that Kate and William’s decade long romance was his ‘inspiration’”.
Kate was reportedly moved to tears by Harry’s best man speech, according to a royal book (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Prince Harry and Kate Middleton ‘loved and helped each other’
After the formal reception, the real party began.
Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton, who served as her maid of honour, helped transform the throne room into a nightclub, apparently.
The night culminated in an emotional moment that few expected.
“Harry put his arms around William and Kate and began to weep,” Andersen wrote. “Soon the best man and the bride were helping brush away each other’s tears while a bemused and thoroughly dry-eyed William looked on.”
Fireworks lit up the sky above Buckingham Palace as guests danced and celebrated.
One guest reportedly later told Andersen that “people don’t realise how much Harry and Kate love and help each other”.
In the years that followed the royal wedding, the three continued to work closely together. Together, the trio spearheaded initiatives around mental health, homelessness, and the environment.
The royal brothers have fallen out in recent years (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Harry and William’s ‘rift’
When Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, the so-called “Fab Four” (William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan) were seen as the royal family’s dream team. Kate and William were reportedly fond of Meghan early on, describing her as “delightful”.
But behind the scenes, tension was mounting, particularly between Harry and William.
By 2019, rumours of a royal rift were rampant. Harry acknowledged the tensions in the 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, saying: “You have good days, you have bad days.”
In 2020, the situation escalated when Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from senior royal duties. They now live in California with their son Prince Archie, six, and daughter Princess Lilibet, four.
The brothers have rarely been seen together since.
Their last public appearance was at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022. However, they both reportedly attended a private family funeral for their uncle, Robert Fellowes, in the summer of 2024.
