Harry to snub coronation concert to rush back to Meghan and kids

Prince Harry's trip to the UK will "only be a fleeting visit," with a royal insider revealing the Duke of Sussex plans to skip celebrations marking King Charles' coronation, including the concert at Windsor Castle. The source told The Mirror the Duke of Sussex will be making an early exit after his father is crowned in order to return to Montecito to his wife Meghan Markle so they can belatedly celebrate Archie's fourth birthday. "After much back and forth, Harry said that he would be returning for the King's Coronation but it will only be a fleeting visit," the insider told the publication.

"Organisers have been told Harry won't be attending the concert with the rest of the Royal Family, which is a great shame as it will be such a spectacular event."

Another major factor in Harry not sticking around is believed to be the 38-year-old's well publicised security concerns, after he lost his 24/7 armed police protection in the UK following Megxit. The star-studded coronation concert will take place a day after the King is officially crowned at Westminster Abbey and will include an audience of more than 20,0000 spectators. Based on themes of love, respect and optimism, the history making event will be televised on the BBC and around the world.

There are 10,000 free tickets up for grabs for the glitzy event which were made available though a ballot system, allocated based on the geographical spread of the UK population. Meanwhile, the Duchess of York has been given a key role at King Charles' concert after he left her off the guest list of his May 6 crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey. A royal insider has told The Sun that Sarah Ferguson will be a "VIP attendee" at the event, which will feature international music icons Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Andrea Bocelli.

The source claims Fergie "never would have expected" to be invited to Charles' crowning, but she is "delighted" to be joining the wider family for the concert. "She cherishes those more relaxed times with the family and, contrary to some reports, is fully accepting of the situation," the insider claims. Royal expert Tom Bower told MailOnline Fergie's presence at the coronation ceremony would "provoke critical comment which Charles doesn't need".

While royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams added that leaving the Duchess of York off the invite list was "extremely wise" because she been "an embarrassment to the royal family for many years".