At present, when Prince William attends the Inauguration Ceremony at Windsor Citadel, one ceremony will probably be significantly poignant.
He’ll current the MBE to shut household confidante Claire van Straubenzee, whose son Henry – Prince Harry's childhood finest pal – died in a automotive crash aged 18.
His loss of life in 2002 impressed her to launch the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund in 2007 to boost cash for schooling in Uganda, in honour of her plan to show at a faculty within the African nation throughout her trip yr earlier than going as much as Newcastle College.
When Claire takes her gong, she will probably be accompanied by her husband Alexander, 73, and sons Thomas, 41, and Charlie, 35, who’re nonetheless near Harry and William.
Though the Duke of Sussex arrived in London tomorrow, the place he’ll attend a service marking the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Video games at St Paul's Cathedral, he isn’t anticipated to attend the ceremony.
Henry, who Prince Harry nicknamed 'Henners' and who he wrote about in his autobiography Spare, turned finest associates with the royal household after they met at Ludgrove Prep College in Berkshire.
“Slim, muscle-less and with a perpetually defeated look of hair, Henners was a person with a coronary heart of gold,” he wrote. “Every time he smiled, folks melted.”
The Duke stated in his memoir that Henry was the one boy who requested him about him after their mom Princess Diana died in a automotive crash in 1997.
Prince Harry and Prince William kiss Claire van Straubenzee on the launch of the charity, which is called in honour of their son Henry, who died in a automotive crash in 2002. Henry and Harry have been finest associates since childhood
Henry was 18 when his automotive crashed right into a tree close to his and Harry's former faculty, Ludgrove Prep, the place they have been working throughout a spot yr.
Prince Harry was finest associates with Henry 'Henners' van Straubenzee. Above: Harry on the launch of the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund
Their household's celebration right now will probably be a bit bittersweet, because it comes simply weeks after Claire and Alex introduced they have been shutting down their charity by the top of the yr.
It is going to additionally mark the top of one other shared enterprise between Prince William and Prince Harry, who’ve each been patrons of the charity since 2009 – making it their solely joint patronage.
The announcement on the charity's web site stated: 'This determination has not been taken calmly and is on no account a results of monetary difficulties.'
'The charity's lead trustee will probably be over 70 by the top of 2024 and believes now’s the fitting time to shut it down.'
The charity started with a private donation of £3,000 to Bupadhengo College in Kamuli, the place Henry taught, and has since raised over £3.3 million and helped over 35,000 kids.
The assertion concludes: 'Above all, we really feel the charity has left a long-lasting memorial to our son Henry, and has helped our household to deal with the grief of his loss.'
The brothers are offered with bottles of champagne at a reception marking the launch of the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund in January 2008
Alex and Claire van Straubenzee at their residence close to Grantham. Claire will obtain an MBE from Prince William right now
Henry died when his automotive crashed right into a tree close to Ludgrove Prep, the place he was working in his hole yr.
In Spare, Harry revealed that the information of Henry's loss of life had eerie echoes of the second when his father, the then Prince Charles, informed him his mom had died.
They seen that Henry, 'like his mom', was additionally not carrying a seatbelt.
He wrote, 'This information might have come within the type of a cellphone name, though I solely vaguely bear in mind holding the cellphone and listening to these phrases.'
Claire remembered the three a.m. cellphone name informing her of the accident.
'Charlie was with us after we heard it. She stated, “Who am I going to play with now?”, she stated The Sunday Times,
Each princes attended the funeral, and Harry recalled how he waited in line to hug Henry's mother and father and his pal's two brothers.
Harry and William have been energetic patrons of the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, enjoying polo to assist increase funds and attending its annual Christmas carol live performance in Chelsea.
In December 2014, standing collectively, they paid joint tribute to Henry.
He stated he was 'a really particular pal to us, with whom we share many joyful childhood reminiscences.'
At a non-public carol service in 2018, Harry gave an tackle and Meghan, whom he married that very same spring, provided a studying.
In December 2022, regardless of being remoted, the princes signed a joint letter to mark the twentieth anniversary of Henry's loss of life.
Charlie and Thomas (above) attending the marriage of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October 2018
Prince Harry with Henry's brother Charlie van Straubenzee and Man Pelly on the England vs Australia match in 2015
Prince William on the polo along with his finest pal Thomas van Straubenzee in 2014. He served as an usher at Prince William's marriage ceremony in 2011, alongside James Meade, and shared a toast on the reception.
Prince William with Thomas van Straubenzee on the Cheltenham Pageant in 2013
Daisy Jenks and Charlie van Straubenzee leaving St Mary the Virgin Church after their marriage ceremony, which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended in 2018
The brothers wrote about 'the Van household, which all of us love and adore', and stated what Claire and Alex have achieved with the inspiration is 'nothing in need of extraordinary'.
He added: 'Henry's legacy will stay on by way of the unbelievable achievements his mother and father have made over time.
'These of us who knew Henners will at all times bear in mind his mischievous allure and great sense of humour.'
Alex informed the Sunday Occasions that Van Straubenzee's final go to to Uganda in February was 'stuffed with unhappiness'.
He stated, 'There isn’t a doubt that that is essentially the most satisfying method to overcome our grief.'
'Henry was a beautiful individual. He was an necessary a part of the household. As the center son, he obtained on very effectively with Thomas and Charlie. They’re devastated to lose him.'
The van Straubenzies are sometimes described as being like a second household to William and Harry, and Claire and Alex supplied a haven for the royal brothers throughout the 'Battle of the Waleses' – Charles and Diana's very public and painful divorce.
The connection between the 2 households goes again many years – Princess Diana was for a time the nanny of Thomas van Straubenzee's cousin and was additionally a detailed pal of his uncle Willie.
Van Straubenzee's sons, Harry and William, have been all born six years aside and the Prince joined the 'van' household on vacation in Cornwall every summer time.
Thomas and Charlie are nonetheless near each princes, and have been instrumental within the marriage ceremony of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, the place Charlie gave a speech on the reception.
Lucy Lanigan-O'Keefe and Thomas van Straubenzee attend Sunday service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Property in 2020. Thomas is godfather to Princess Charlotte
Harry is godfather to Charlie's four-year-old daughter Clover, and Charlie is godfather to Prince Archie, who lately turned 5.
And the previous associates' bond hasn't been affected by Harry's transfer to Montecito, the place he was noticed biking across the California neighborhood in Might 2022.
In the meantime, Thomas is commonly described because the Prince of Wales' finest pal.
In Spare, Prince Harry particulars how Thomas performed the function of an actual pal to William at his marriage ceremony to Kate in 2011, giving the normal speech alongside James Meade.
Thomas can also be godfather to Princess Charlotte, and William is godfather to his daughter Mary, whom he has along with his second spouse, Lucy Lanigan-O'Keefe.
Lucy is one in all Princess Charlotte's former academics at Thomas's College in Battersea.
'Henry would have been stunned,' Claire stated of the information that William was prone to take over.
