LONDON – Britain’s Prince Harry will attend his father King Charles’ Coronation next month, but without his wife Meghan, the couple announced on Wednesday, putting an end to months of suspense.
Charles will be crowned in a 1,000-year-old ritual attended by foreign heads of state and dignitaries. However, his youngest son’s participation had been called into question when the 38-year-old publicly lambasted his family in a book and documentary series.
Buckingham Palace and the couple’s spokeswoman confirmed that Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, would attend the May 6 celebration, while Meghan would remain in California with the couple’s two young children.
Archie, their eldest, turns four on the same day.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey,” a representative for the palace stated.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Harry and Meghan resigned from their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, claiming they wanted to start a fresh, independent life away from the glare of the British press.
They agreed with the royal family not to participate in any future official royal events or tours, and they have only been seen in Britain on a few occasions since they left, including for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral after a 70-year reign.
Following their departure, tensions quickly arose, and Harry recently authored a memoir featuring intimate insights about the British royal family, while the couple also starred in a Netflix documentary series.
Among their many allegations were that various royals, including stepmother Camilla and William, the heir to the throne, had leaked material to tabloid tabloids in order to protect or promote their reputations.
They also claimed that the royal family had downplayed Meghan’s race-related hounding by the press as a rite of passage, comparing her treatment to his mother Princess Diana’s prior to her death.
According to some media accounts, Harry sought an apology from his family before agreeing to attend the coronation, which will be honored by a national holiday in the United Kingdom.
When asked if he will attend in a January interview, Harry remarked, “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then.” “However, the door is always open.”
Buckingham Palace had made it clear Prince Harry, who was one of the most popular members of the royal family before his departure, had been invited to the event.
Harry was last in the country in late March to attend a court hearing in which he and other high-profile figures accused the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper of phone monitoring and other privacy violations.
The charges are denied by the publisher. The case is one of several brought by the prince against British newspapers.
