FOUR brothers whose father owns a Dales shooting estate could be vying for best man duty at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton next summer.

Speculation is mounting that the Van Cutsem brothers, whose father Hugh Van Cutsem owns a hunting lodge and grouse moor on the North Yorkshire-Cumbria border, could play a key role at the eagerly awaited nuptials.

Princes William and Harry, who are regular shooters on the estate between Garsdale and Hawes, are lifelong friends of the Van Cutsems.

Last year, the princes were both ushers at a Van Cutsem wedding and royal observers say it would be amazing if a reciprocal honour was not forthcoming.

The prince announced his engagement to Kate Middleton - his girlfriend of seven years - on Tuesday to a media furore, heralding the nuptuals as ‘the wedding of the century’.

While Prince Harry is an obvious choice for William’s best man, the important role could also go to one of the Van Cutsems - Edward, 37, Hugh, 36, Nicholas, 33 or William, 31 - to fill the role.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes have quoted odds of 33/1 for a Van Cutsem being best man, with Harry firm favourite at 1/100.

The Van Cutsem brothers and the prince have been friends since childhood. Their father Hugh is an intimate friend of Prince Charles from their Cambridge days.

As a group they’ve often been seen out shooting on the moors together.

Princes William and Harry were ushers at Nicholas Van Cutsem’s wedding to Alice Hadden-Paton last August and Prince William is also godfather to Hugh junior’s son Rafe.

It has been suggested that the secluded Garsdale estate could be used as a bolt hole by William and Kate in the run up to the wedding just as Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles did before their relationship became public.

Also on the royal wedding invitation list could be MP for Penrith and the Border Rory Stewart, who spent one of his university summer holidays as a tutor to the royal princes.