It’s official, Prince Harry will attend his father, King Charles III’s coronation, but his partner Meghan Markle will stay at home in the US with their children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.
The decision has been a long time coming, as the couple have famously fallen out with the royal family across a series of high-profile interviews and documentaries, as well as Harry’s tell-all book Spare.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service,” a palace spokesperson said.
“The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Of course, we cannot forget that the chosen date for King Charles III’s big day is also his grandchild, Archie’s fourth birthday.
That does shed some light on why Meghan may have chosen to stay at home—to celebrate her eldest son’s exciting day—and why it will be equally heart-wrenching for Harry to be away from his California home.
A friend of the couple reportedly told People, that Harry wanted to be at the coronation service in support of his father at this “important moment in his life”.
However, Meghan will “spend the weekend celebrating with [Archie] and his sister.”
The decision marks a continued break from the UK for Markle, who was last in the country for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
However, Harry has been back more recently, for a court appearance in a legal case against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), which publishes the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday.
It is understood that Harry and Meghan received their invites to the coronation with everyone else on March 5, according to The Sunday Times.
The revelation about their attendance comes a far time after the intended RSVP date of April 3, News.com.au reports.
While the details of Harry’s visit are yet to be confirmed by palace officials, it is not expected that he will join the wider party of working royals on their duties, given he no longer is a part of the ‘Firm’.
Whether or not the prince will stay in his former home (that he was evicted from), Frogmore Cottage, as he did when he came back to the UK for the ANL case, is yet to be revealed.
Stay tuned.
The coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on the 6 May. For everything you need to know about the events on the day, click here.
