Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Prince Harry will attend the coronation of King Charles III alone, without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. This news follows speculation about whether or not the couple would travel to the coronation. On May 6th, Prince Harry will join more than 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey for the event.
The decision for Meghan not to attend will be seen as part of ongoing, unresolved tensions between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family. Prince Harry’s book, Spare, and a Netflix series had highlighted worries about negative media coverage, particularly towards Meghan – and he had warned of a lack of support from his family.
Prince Harry had been contacted by email more than a month ago about attending the coronation. As he is no longer a “working royal”, it remains to be seen what part he will play in the ceremony. For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Prince Harry and Meghan did not take part in the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
It’s expected that Prince William, as Prince of Wales, will have a prominent role in the coronation – and after Prince Harry’s dramatic account of their falling out there will be attention on the two brothers coming together again. As well as the coronation service there is a long weekend of public events and concerts, which the Royal Family will be expected to attend.
Prince Harry made an unexpected appearance in London in March, when he attended a court hearing in a case against Associated Newspapers about allegations of privacy breaches. However, it was not thought that he had met his brother or father during the visit.
Buckingham Palace has now confirmed that Prince Harry will attend the coronation of King Charles III on May 6th. This will be the first time he will have been seen with the Royal Family since the release of his best-selling memoir. The decision for Meghan not to attend will be seen as part of ongoing tensions between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family. It remains to be seen what part Prince Harry will play in the coronation ceremony, but it is expected that Prince William, as Prince of Wales, will have a prominent role. There is also a long weekend of public events and concerts which the Royal Family will be expected to attend.