UK

Prince Harry to attend King’s coronation but Meghan will stay in California

Published

2 years ago

on

Prince Harry will be at the King’s coronation but Meghan will stay in California with their children, Buckingham Palace has announced.

In a statement, it said it was “pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May.

“The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”

Harry, who revealed his troubled relationship with the Royal Family in his Netflix show and autobiography, will witness the King and his stepmother the Queen Consort be crowned.

It ends months of speculation about whether the couple would show up, but is likely to see some critics accuse Meghan of snubbing the ceremony.

The date of the coronation is also Archie’s fourth birthday.

Archewell, Harry and Meghan’s charitable foundation, issued a near identical statement that confirmed the duke would be attending.

Meghan’s absence will seem like the rift is far from healed

After weeks of speculation, we finally have an answer: Harry’s coming, but Meghan isn’t.

This is a big decision. It is also, perhaps, the outcome the Royal Family would have hoped for.

There had been fears the arrival of the Sussexes could create a distracting media circus, diverting attention from the coronation.

This way, Harry marks the moment and Meghan stays away from any potential controversy.

She’ll stay in the US with the children, and don’t forget the coronation falls on Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.

Buckingham Palace isn’t making any further comment other than to confirm Prince Harry’s attendance.

We don’t know if space will be made for him in the carriage procession or even if he’ll now be offered a spot on the balcony. Or to that point, if Harry would want to be part of either.

Harry made it clear in his biography and subsequent interviews “there is a lot to be discussed” before he decided whether to come.

He said he wanted sit-down conversations with his family, and that “the ball is in their court”.

Whether those chats happened isn’t known but something has persuaded Harry to come.

Meghan’s decision not to come is much more nuanced. We haven’t seen her in the UK since the Queen’s funeral.

Her absence will certainly seem like the rift between her and the Royal Family is far from healed.

In fact, there’s no suggestion of any rapprochement between Harry and senior royals.

Either way, for the King this will be welcome news and he will be pleased to have both his sons watch his crowning moment.

Read more:
Coronation concert: When is it and who’s performing?
Coronation route revealed
King’s regalia: What all the crowns, swords and orbs mean

Doubts over whether Harry would attend the coronation grew after explosive claims in his book, Spare, which painted his family in an unflattering light and laid bare tensions.

He claimed his brother William had knocked him to the floor after calling the Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.

The duke also said his father put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of Meghan and Kate, and that the Queen Consort sacrificed him on “her personal PR altar”.

Image:
Pic: Hugo Burnand

Those claims came after the couple’s Oprah interview in 2021, where it was alleged an unnamed royal made comments about the skin colour of their then unborn son.

The Sussexes moved to California after stepping back as senior royals in 2020.

They were asked this year to vacate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, in a move approved by the King.

Harry is also currently taking legal action, along with others, against the Daily Mail’s publisher in a privacy case at the high court.

He made a surprise appearance at a hearing in London last month.

Related Topics:

Trending

Exit mobile version