Prince Harry Is Attending His Father's Coronation Alone & Kate Middleton’s Alleged Confession May Be The Reason Meghan Markle Is Staying Away
It will be another awkward family affair for the Royals.
Frederic Legrand - COMEO, Mr Pics / Shutterstock King Charles’ coronation is set to take place on May 6, 2023, and royal watchers are wondering if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will make the trek across the pond for the event.
Three days of celebration are expected to take place after the crowning ceremony, which will be held at Westminster Abbey. Although Charles ascended the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022, his coronation will be formally crowned.
Harry and his family have been at odds for quite some time now, which he has discussed in his memoir, “Spare,” as well as in various television specials and documentaries, whether it be his sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 or the Netflix miniseries “Harry & Meghan.”
Why isn't Meghan Markle attending Prince Charles' coronation?
The royal family has been rather tight-lipped on whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be attending the king’s coronation celebration. However, there have been various rumors and reports pointing to all different possible scenarios.
Prince Harry will attend the coronation without Meghan Markle who will remain in California.
A statement released by the palace confirmed that Harry is planning on attending alone while Markle will be in California with the couple's two children.
Despite their differences, the king extended an invitation to his coronation to his youngest son and his family, according to CNN. "I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time," a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said in early March.
Harry and Meghan currently live in California with their two young children, Archie and Lilibet, both of whom received royal titles when Charles became king, Time magazine reports. Since the two children are direct descendants of the reigning monarch, they were granted the titles Prince and Princess, respectively.
Both Archie and Lilibet have traveled to the UK with their parents, and spent some time with the queen before her death, though the visits have been kept private.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reported to have missed the RSVP deadline.
In a report by The Mirror on April 6, Harry and Meghan were accused of missing the deadline to RSVP for the coronation, leaving us with more questions than answers. Palace insiders tell the outlet that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "have not responded to an official invitation by the king, although rumors of their demands to be included on the balcony are said to be ‘wide of the mark.'"
On the same day, another insider reportedly told OK! magazine that Harry and Meghan were more than likely going to attend the coronation. "There have been lengthy discussions between the Sussexes and the palace. There is a time crunch on this, of course. It’s such a historical event and it’s hoped that Harry and Meghan will be there," the outlet's source explained.
Of course, now we know that Harry will attend alone.
Kate Middleton's alleged confession about seeing Meghan Markle might explain why the two are avoiding each other.
A lot of planning has gone into the coronation celebration and it's safe to say that emotions are running high for various members of the royal family.
One of the people who may be dreading a family run-in with Harry and Meghan is Kate Middleton — that is if you believe the claims made in a new book written by royal journalist Robert Jobson. Following Queen Elizabeth's death, what would have been the royal foursome (Harry, Meghan, Kate Middleton and Prince William) did a walkabout outside Windsor Castle where they greeted well-wishers.
"Catherine later admitted to a senior royal that, such was the ill-feeling between the two couples, the joint walkabout was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do," Jobson writes in his book, according to Deadline.
Aside from the Princess of Wales' possible feelings about her in-laws, there are also reports that King Charles was "distraught" after learning of the things that Harry wrote in his first memoir.
"He’s angry and outraged that Harry’s aired so many embarrassing and damaging assertions, and it’s put him in a terrible position with Camille of course now that she’s been dragged into the equation. That’s really crossed the line in more ways than one, but there are so many egregious comments and revelations from Harry that his father doesn’t know where to start. He has hope that in time the dust will settle and Harry will soften his heart toward his family, at least he hopes so. But he’s not going to push or apologize," a source told Us Weekly in January.
What's more, a source told The Sunday Times that Harry won't have any role at his dad's upcoming coronation. "As things stand, there is no role for Harry in the service," the source said.
Effie Orfanides has been reporting on celebrity and entertainment news since 2009. She is the former Director of Operations of the Inquisitr and currently has bylines at People, NickiSwift, and Heavy. In 2022, she released her first mobile app called beacheo.