“It brings with it the security concerns, the media attention and all of these things and this wedding is, fundamentally, a private wedding.”

Royal author Ingrid Seward had previously suggested the Duke would not wish to attend the ceremony without his wife Meghan Markle, who hasn’t set foot in the UK since 2022.

Seward said: “Harry and Meghan obviously probably have no intention of flying 5,000 miles to go to a wedding. It’s the society wedding of the year when that society doesn’t want to know them – especially Meghan.

“I should think I mean the last thing Meghan wanted to do was to fly to the UK – where she’s deeply unpopular – and be put on show, if you like, which she would be,

“To give them their credit, they knew that their presence there would actually deflect completely from the bride and groom, and that often happens when royalty go to a wedding.”