Prince Harry's former best mate has sparked speculation of a deep rift after joining forces with Meghan Markle's "arch-nemesis", Jeremy Clarkson.

The former Top Gear presenter caused a stir in 2022 with his scathing piece in The Sun, where he expressed his hatred for the Ducess of Sussex.

In his controversial column, Clarkson went as far as to say he fantasised about Meghan being paraded naked through the streets, a comment that was later condemned as sexist by the press watchdog.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex condemned the piece, which The Sun subsequently pulled, accusing it of fuelling "hate rhetoric", along with "dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny".

Yet, it appears one of Prince Harry's oldest confidants may have turned his back on him, as Hugh van Cutsem, a lifelong friend to both Harry and Prince William, appeared on Clarkson's hit Amazon Prime series, Clarkson's Farm.

Van Cutsem was featured hunting deer with Clarkson in the seventh episode, hinting that the 49 year old may be the latest in Harry's circle to part ways with the Royal.

Hugh's father, who shares the same name, was a long-time friend of King Charles from their days at the University of Cambridge back in the 1960s.

Following suit, their children struck up a friendly bond, evidenced when William played a role in Hugh's 2005 wedding as senior usher and accepted the godfather role for Grace, the child of Hugh and Rose Astor, reports the Mirror.

Notably, Grace served as bridesmaid at the celebrated 2011 wedding of William and Catherine.

When actress Meghan moved to the UK in 2017, the van Cutsem family extended their warmth to her and blessed the Sussexes with their presence at their 2018 nuptials.

However, the smooth sailing friendship hit a rough patch two years later.

Rose found herself tangled in a controversy after she poked fun at Harry and Meghan's decision to step down from their Royal duties via a tongue-in-cheek social media post: "I am standing back as a senior member of my tax return because I'd rather drink coffee, see my friends, love my family and do yoga."

Eventually, she offered an apology and added a cryptic statement: "I can't say anything. I'm sure you understand. I'm going to be in so much trouble."

The dad-of-two opened up about his falling out with old pal Hugh in his autobiography Spare, sharing that his wife Emilie had reached out to him after their explosive sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

"Several close mates and beloved figures in my life, including one of Hugh and Emilie's sons, Emilie herself, and even Tiggy [Pettifer, his former nanny], had chastised me for Oprah. How could you reveal such things? About your family?" he recounted.