Yesterday news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle missed the deadline to RSVP for King Charles III’s coronation on May 6. But Buckingham Palace just confirmed on Wednesday that Harry will be in attendance for his father’s historic day, while Meghan will stay home in California with their two children.
The official statement read, “Buckingham Palace is 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.”
It still remains to be seen whether Prince Harry joins his royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation. The Mirror previously reported that the Sussexes’ demanded to be a part of the balcony appearance. Marie Claire added that the request was declined since the balcony is only reserved for working members of the royal family. Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royals in 2020 when they moved to California.
It was rumored the couple also requested that their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, be a part of the day if the family were to attend. Their cousin, Prince George, will play an important role during the ceremony. The 9-year-old son of Kate Middleton and Prince William will act as a page for the King as he ascends the throne. His younger siblings, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 will travel from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in the carriage procession after the coronation.
Meghan will celebrate Archie’s 4th birthday while home in California, which falls on the same date as the coronation.
The last time Harry and Meghan made an appearance with the rest of the royal family was during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September. In excerpts from a new royal book by royal correspondent Robert Jobson titled Our King, it’s said that Kate Middleton was particularly uncomfortable by the photo opp she did with Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ahead of the Queen’s funeral service.
Harry has since been back in his home country when he appeared at London’s High Court in late March for legal proceedings against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) on the first day of the hearing.
Harry notably attended another high-profile royal event without Meghan at the funeral service for his grandfather Prince Philip in April 2021. That marked the first time Harry saw his brother Prince William since he and Meghan conducted a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Tensions between the Sussex’s and the rest of the royal family hit an all-time high after the release of the couple’s Netflix documentary Harry + Meghan late last year and Prince Harry’s bombshell tell-all memoir Spare in January.
In an interview promoting his book, Prince Harry told ITV News’ Tom Bradby, “It never needed to be this way.”
“I want a family. Not an institution,” said Prince Harry. “They feel as though it’s better to keep us, somehow, as the villains,” referring to the royal family. He added, “They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.”
In early March, King Charles asked Harry and Meghan to leave their home in the U.K, Frogmore Cottage. A spokesperson for the couple’s Archewell Foundation corroborated the news with People, stating, “We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”
Watch this space ahead of the coronation, taking place on May 6.
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