Prince Harry misses ‘best man’s’ big day: Sussexes don’t attend wedding of polo chum Jack Mann

The Duke of Sussex stood shoulder to shoulder with Jack Mann and his other closest allies in the ‘band of brothers’ photo at Windsor Castle on the night of the royal wedding.

And after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, it was suggested that Mann wasn’t just one of the ushers, but was in fact his “real” best man, rather than Prince William.

For example, there was disappointment among royal fans over the weekend that Harry and Meghan were not present on Mann’s own big day.

Mann, 40, exchanged vows with osteopath Isabella Clark at St Peter’s Church in Stutton, Suffolk, where Harry’s friend Thomas van Straubenzee, godfather to Princess Charlotte, was a guest.

Van Straubenzee was accompanied by his wife, Lucy, an assistant principal at Charlotte and Prince George’s former school, Thomas’s.

Guests included Harry’s friend Thomas van Straubenzee, godfather to Princess Charlotte

Harry and Meghan were spotted holding hands, smiling and laughing as they exited an office building in Santa Barbara, California, on Friday

The Duke of Sussex stood shoulder to shoulder with Jack Mann and his other close allies in the ‘band of brothers’ photo at Windsor Castle on the night of the royal wedding

It’s not clear how close Harry remains to Mann, who he met at Sandhurst, where both were appointed to the Blues and Royals.

The Duke admits in his memoir, Spare, that he fell out with some of his old friends after attacking the royal family on television.

Mann himself has been in the news lately. He is a co-founder of the private security company Alma Risk and was interrupted last year by a business trip to Libya.

“We did not continue the journey from Malta on the advice of the Maltese Immigration Service to correct our paperwork,” Mann subsequently explained to the Daily Mail.

“The problem was solved within five days,” he added, explaining that Alma Risk provided medical training to Libyan clients.

Due to the exploits of his father – the old Etonian adventurer and former SAS officer Simon Mann – the family name can sometimes attract unfortunate attention. Mann senior was a participant in the 2004 ‘Wonga coup’.

Intended to remove Teodoro Obiang, President of Equatorial Guinea, from power, it ended in Simon’s imprisonment and Obiang threatening to eat his testicles.

Due to the exploits of his father – the old Etonian adventurer and former SAS officer Simon Mann (pictured) – the family name can sometimes attract unfortunate attention. Mann senior was a participant in the 2004 ‘Wonga coup’.

Prince Harry played polo with Jack Mann when the couple were younger

The pair were accompanied by an unidentified man, believed to be a member of their security detail

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were all smiles on their first public outing since their eviction from Frogmore Cottage. The couple was pictured on Friday in Santa Barbara, California

Mann Snr survived captivity for a total of five years and returned home unscathed.

He was on hand to toast the happy couple, but refuses to discuss the celebrations, telling me, “I’m in ‘no comment’ mode.”

The wedding was held near the bride’s family seat.

The daughter of the popular Stephen Clark, her home is a beautiful, crenellated, 17th-century stack, with sweeping lawns down to a river.