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

Published

3 years ago

April 12, 2023

admin

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.

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”.

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.

Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

Published

8 hours ago

October 12, 2025

admin

Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two children in Stafford.

Police were called to a home on Corporation Street at around 7.30am on Sunday by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, Staffordshire Police said.

Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said: “We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives.

“We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.

“We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community. We don’t believe there is wider threat to the public at this time.”

The 43-year-old woman, who is from the Stafford area, remains in custody.

The force has not confirmed the ages of the two children. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.

Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

Published

9 hours ago

October 12, 2025

admin

Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

A man has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family.

Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton, south London, was arrested last Monday, but it was only made public on Sunday.

He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, the Met Police said.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October.

Sir Ed, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, lives in southwest London with his wife, Emily, their 17-year-old son John, and his younger sister Ellie.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.

“He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.

“He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.”

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.”

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Published

20 hours ago

October 12, 2025

admin

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.

Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.

He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.

West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.

The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.

A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.

Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.

He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.

At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.

Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.

A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.

When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.

After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.