One of the fun things about the Invictus Games is that we always learn new things about how many “old friends” Prince Harry is actually still in contact with. It happened in Germany in 2023 as well – several of Harry’s oldest and dearest friends flew to Dusseldorf to watch the games and support their mate, much to the chagrin of the British media. The British media has spent years forcing the storyline that “everyone in Britain hates the Sussexes” and “Harry doesn’t have any friends.” Well, it turns out that a former Kensington Palace senior staffer is in Vancouver right now for the games, and he was seated next to Prince Harry at the wheelchair basketball game on Sunday. The guy’s name is Nick Loughran and he used to work for the Princess of Wales… before he dumped Kate’s right-hand assistant and began dating Harry’s assistant, who is now Nick’s wife.
The Princess of Wales’ former aide has been spotted at the Invictus games in Canada with Harry and Meghan. Nick Loughran was a senior aide to The Prince and Princess of Wales but left in 2016 following a reported romantic entanglement with two women who worked at the palace. On Sunday, Nick, who has denied the love triangle was the reason for him leaving the palace, sat next to Prince Harry to watch the Wheelchair Curling at the Invictus Games.
Now the director of communications company Integra Group, Nick was seen chatting to the California based couple and even shaking hands with Meghan, 43, at the Hillcrest Recreation Centre in Vancouver. In one snap, Harry, 40, appeared to introduce the two, pointing towards Nick as Meghan leaned across her husband to shake hands with the former royal aide. Another moment revealed Nick and the Suits star chatting excitedly between Harry, who perched in the middle listening to the two.
In 2016, the Palace announced that Nick was leaving his position at Kensington palace, though he has maintained that this was not a result of a romantic entanglement. The announcement came three months the Mail disclosed that Loughran had broken up with Kate’s cherished ‘Girl Friday’, Rebecca Deacon, and begun courting Clara Madden, a blonde bombshell who worked at the time as Prince Harry’s assistant.
Nick split up with Rebecca in 2015 after a two-year relationship. He went on to date and eventually marry Clara following the dramatic departure from the palace. Rebecca left the palace the following year and tied the knot to Adam Priestley at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace. In 2023, she was awarded the title of Extra Equerry’ to His Royal Highness by Prince William.
After he left Kensington Palace, Nick went on to take on a position as associate director at Freuds, the PR firm founded by Matthew Freud. He left the position after four years before going on to take a role as Family Communications Director at Grosvenor, before landing the job at Integra Group in 2021.
Nick went on to marry his palace love interest, Clara Loughran, who had worked for Harry since 2015, organising his official engagements and charitable initiatives. She was also known for being the mystery woman to hand Meghan her flowers on the Sussexes’ wedding day in 2018.
Following the timeline, it sounds like Nick was done with Rebecca Deacon and then moved on quickly with Harry’s assistant Clara in 2016, and Nick and Clara later married. Clara was still working for Harry at the time of his 2018 wedding as well. And obviously, Clara and Nick are still in contact with Harry even after he left the UK, so much so that Nick came to the games. It’s certainly interesting. It’s also kind of interesting that they’re going with “Kate’s former aide” and not “a former palace senior staffer who left palace employment nine years ago to work in the private sector.” Also: I’ve always wondered just how many “former palace staffers” decided to follow the Sussexes when they exited. Because it was more than James Holt, although he’s probably the most vocal one to join the Sussexit.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
