Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Prince Harry will attend the coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. However, his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will not be present at the ceremony.
This announcement comes after weeks of speculation about whether the couple would travel to the UK for the event. It will be the first time that Prince Harry has been seen with the royal family since the publication of his memoir “Spare”, in which he revealed the depth of his disagreements with other members of the family.
Prince Harry’s decision to attend alone will be seen as part of continuing family tensions. His book and an earlier Netflix series highlighted his anxiety about negative media coverage, particularly towards Meghan, and warned of a lack of support from his family.
Prince Harry and Meghan have issued a statement saying, “The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
It is also worth noting that May 6th is Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, who will remain in the US with his mother.
While Prince Harry will be part of the historic ceremony, it remains to be seen what part he will play as he is no longer a “working royal.” For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Prince Harry and Meghan were not allowed to take part in the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
It is expected that Prince William, as Prince of Wales, will have a prominent role in the coronation. After Prince Harry’s dramatic account of their falling out, there will be attention on the two brothers being seen together again. Prince Harry’s memoir described a physical altercation between the brothers and arguments about their father marrying Camilla.
The Queen Consort’s grandchildren will be among the children with roles at the coronation. Buckingham Palace has said that after the event, it will be an “appropriate time” for her to be known as Queen Camilla.
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. However, it is not known how long Prince Harry will be in the UK. He made an unexpected appearance in London in March, attending a court hearing in a case against Associated Newspapers about allegations of privacy breaches, but was not thought to have met his brother or father during the visit.
