Prince William's 'real best man' Thomas van Straubenzee and his brother Charlie who was Prince Harry's usher 'could pull off the most extraordinary feat if they joined forces to bring the warring Windsors back together', claims royal expert

Time apart has not healed Prince William and Prince Harry's deeply fractured relationship - as they remain at loggerheads six years after Megxit - but could the van Straubenzee brothers? Part of North Yorkshire's 'landed gentry', Thomas, 44, has been the future King's best friend for over three decades, while Charlie, 38, has been by Prince Harry's side everywhere from rugby matches to the altar. As he settles back into his old life after six years in Montecito, Harry will undoubtedly turn to the investment banker who, along with Thomas, might be uniquely placed to bridge the distance between the warring princes. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that while it was widely speculated that the best man for the job was their former Private Secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the aide 'belongs to a different generation'. The 'obvious mediators' are Thomas and Charlie, whose friendship dates back to their days at Ludgrove Prep School and has spanned bachelorhood, marriage, and the birth of their children.'The van Straubenzee brothers could pull off the most extraordinary feat if they joined forces to bring William and Harry together,' Mr Fitzwilliams said.While William steered clear of Highgrove House when the Duke and Duchess visited the King for tea last month, he will likely have a harder time avoiding his younger brother now that Harry has returned to the UK for an 'extended stay' and they have several common friends. 'What makes the brothers ideal is that, apart from being close to both of them, Thomas is especially close to William and Charlie to Harry,' he explained. Property advisor Thomas van Straubenzee, 44, (left) has been the future King's best friend for over three decades Charlie van Straubenzee, 38, pictured on a bike ride with the Duke of Sussex during a visit to Montecito in 2022, is one of Prince Harry's closest confidantes Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, arrived back in Britain this week after six years in the US. The Sussexes – who are also believed to be bringing their dogs Mia and Pula across the Atlantic – will live in a non-royal residence outside London. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have been enrolled in UK schools ready to start next week. Harry and Meghan have remained tight-lipped over their decision to move back to the UK. But the Duke is expected to reunite with close friends, including the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor, former nightclub owner Guy Pelly, and royal equerry Mark Dyer. However, the group also has strong ties to William; Hugh is godfather to the Prince of Wales's oldest son, George, while former Welsh Guards officer Mark - fondly dubbed Harry's 'second dad' - was a steadying influence during William's early years. Guy is godfather to the youngest Wales child, Prince Louis. He has a close friendship with William and even organised his stag do. Each of them has been suggested as a prospective mediator for William and Harry, but none are as strong contenders as Thomas and Charlie van Straubenzees - especially if they teamed up. The van Straubenzees have often been described as a second family to William and Harry. The boys' parents, Claire and Alex, gave the princes a haven to escape to during Charles and Diana's bitter split that was dubbed the 'war of the Waleses'. Harry and William would also frequently join the 'vans' on holiday in Cornwall each summer. Thomas (right) with Charlie before his first wedding to Melissa Percy, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, in 2013 Thomas with Prince William and Harry after they played a polo match at the Coworth Park Polo Club in Ascot in 2014 In Spare, Prince Harry detailed how Thomas acted as William's 'real best man' at his 2011 wedding to Kate, delivering the traditional speech alongside friend James Meade.Thomas is also godfather to Princess Charlotte, and William is godfather to his daughter Mary, whom he had with his second wife, Lucy Lanigan-O'Keeffe.Both the brothers were ushers at Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018, where Charlie gave a rousing speech dedicated to 'our strawberry blonde prince' during the reception. In an emotional moment, Charlie told the wedding party that 'Diana would be proud and happy' to see that her son has found love with 'such an amazing woman', according to biographer Omid Scobie's book about the Sussexes, Finding Freedom. Harry is godfather to Charlie's four-year-old daughter Clover and, in turn, Charlie is godfather to Prince Archie, who will soon be starting school in the UK alongside his younger sister, Princess Lilibet. They have stayed in touch despite Harry's move to Montecito, with Charlie travelling to the United States to visit the royal in May 2022. The pair were spotted riding bikes around the Californian neighbourhood, as the prince appeared happy and relaxed in the company of one of his closest confidantes. While Thomas is considered to be William's 'best friend', the oldest van Straubenzee is likely to have divided loyalties now that Harry is back in the UK. He and the Duke were close to one another in the 2010s, and when Thomas was mugged in Stockwell, south London, in 2012 - it was Harry he was on the phone to when his Nokia phone was snatched. Thomas, who is Princess Charlotte's godfather, with Prince William and Prince George (centre) at the UEFA Champions Leage quarter final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in 2024 (From left to right) Guy Pelly, Charlie van Straubenzee and Prince Harry attend the England v Australia match during the Rugby World Cup 2015 In 2014, Thomas was pictured alongside both Prince William and Harry after they played a polo match at the Coworth Park Polo Club in Ascot. The following year, Thomas accompanied Harry and his brother Charlie to a rugby match.Harry was also particularly close to Thomas and Charlie's brother Henry van Straubenzee, who became the royal's best friend during their time at Ludgrove. 'Skinny, with no muscles, and hair that stood up in permanent surrender, Henners was all heart,' he wrote affectionately of Henry in his memoir Spare. 'Whenever he smiled, people melted.'The Duke said in his book that Henry was the only boy who asked him about his mother, Princess Diana, after she died in 1997. Tragically, he himself passed away in a car crash at the age of 18.In Spare, Harry described how the news of Henry's death had terrible echoes of the moment that his father, then Prince Charles, told him that his mother, the late Princess of Wales, had died. The Duke noted how 'just like Mummy' Henry had not been wearing a seatbelt when he died. In what has been seen as a testament to the loyalty and kinship both Harry and William feel towards the van Straubenzee family, the only patronage they shared was of the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund until it closed down two years ago. In December 2022, despite being estranged, the princes signed a joint letter to mark the 20th anniversary of Henry's death. Thomas, seated with the late Queen and then-Prince Charles, arriving at Ascot Racecourse in 2017 Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams noted how Prince William 'personally arranged' to present an MBE to Claire van Straubenzee for her services to children's education in Uganda during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle two years ago. Considering Thomas and Charlie have been William and Harry's closest confidantes for the better part of three decades, the royal expert suggested they have a special vantage point into the princes' relationship. If they decided to, they could 'pull off the most extraordinary feat' and reunite the brothers after years of feuding, although Mr Fitzwilliams warned it 'most certainly won't be easy'. The brothers have not spoken to each other since Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022, and it is believed there has not been any sort of contact for more than two and a half years. But Harry did tell the BBC last year that he wanted to change that, saying 'There's no point in continuing to fight any more.'Friends of the Waleses are said to have claimed the couple are unable to forgive a series of hugely damaging broadsides by the Sussexes after 'Megxit' in 2020, including a claim in Harry's memoir Spare that William left him with visible 'scrapes and bruises' after they had an alleged fight. Those hoping for a reconciliation are pinning their hopes on a major black-tie event to be hosted on September 18 by The Diana Award, a charity in which both William and Harry act as patrons.The charity, which celebrates young people who make a difference to the lives of others, is a crucial organisation for the princes, as it has played a key role in keeping their mother's memory alive.Next month's event at the OWO Hotel in central London will mark the beginning of the build-up to the 30th anniversary next summer of Princess Diana's death.In recent years, William and Harry have taken turns to participate in the charity's events. The MoS understands William is not currently due to attend next month's event and it is not known if the Sussexes will be there.