Prince Harry 'preoccupied' with where he would sit on Coronation
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kept King Charles waiting over Coronation plans 'because they wanted to know who would be sitting in front of them and who would be behind them' in Westminster Abbey during weeks of 'transatlantic ping pong'
By Rebecca English Royal Editor For The Daily Mail
Published: 22:01, 13 April 2023 | Updated: 02:24, 14 April 2023
Prince Harry delayed replying to the invitation to the Coronation because he was engaged in 'transatlantic ping pong' and was 'preoccupied' by where he would have to sit, sources have indicated.
It was one of the reasons he was so late in confirming his decision to attend the crowning of his father King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor a legal representative for the Duke of Sussex responded to a request for comment today. But more than one source has confirmed to the Mail that there have been 'extensive discussions' between London and California over the issue.
One said: 'Harry's side was keen to find out, presumably because they wanted to rubber-stamp it, what the seating plan at the Abbey is. There's been extensive back and forth about who they [Harry and Meghan] would be sitting behind if they came.
And who would be behind them.'
Harry was apparently quite preoccupied by this particular detail, the source said.
At his grandmother's funeral last September, Harry and Meghan were squeezed into a corner at the end of the second row - with a candle even obscuring a clear view of the Duchess (pictured)
Harry was placed behind William for the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020, his final event before moving to the US (pictured)
Prince Harry delayed replying to the invitation to the Coronation because he was 'preoccupied' by where he would have to sit, sources have indicated.
Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St Paul's Cathedral in London on June 3 last year
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are pictured in Malton, North Yorkshire, on April 5
The late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020
Another source added: 'This is true. There has been a lot of questions on detail for the Abbey.'
Publications with links to the Sussexes have suggested that Harry had a list of questions for the palace about what would happen if he attended and wanted certain 'assurances', but did not detail what they might be.
When Harry and Meghan came to the UK for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee they joined other members of the Royal Family at St Paul's Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving. But, notably and rather awkwardly, they were seated on the other side of the nave from Charles, Camilla, William and Kate.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been shunted away from the main seats as their rift with the Royal Family has grown.
There had been hopes the coronation could provide an opportunity for reconciliation - but members of the royal family are understood to not have an appetite for it at the moment.
One source told the Daily Express: 'The Royal Family are focused on planning for the historic occasion and have no appetite or time at this stage to think about reconciliation.'
The Coronation is set to be an awkward affair, with many members of the Royal Family still enraged over allegations made in Prince Harry's memoir Spare.
It has been reported that his brother William has no plans to speak to him, and that other royals also plan to offer only the most basic greetings.
Meghan was 'never likely' to attend coronation after being placed in 'impossible position'
Meghan Markle was 'never likely' to attend the Coronation of King Charles III, sources close to those planning the event have said, after she was put in an 'impossible situation' by the royal family.
Prince Harry is understood to have gone through weeks of negotiations with Buckingham Palace over the event, including going over arrangements for security and concerns over the reception from his family.
It was confirmed yesterday Harry will attend the ceremony, but Meghan will remain in California.
A royal source told the Mirror: 'The truth of the matter is the Duchess was never likely to attend the coronation.
'The mood from California was that she felt increasingly put in an impossible position and there's a fair sense of relief that the situation is resolved after so much speculation and uncertainty.
'It is one thing to attend the late Queen's funeral out of respect for Her Majesty but another thing entirely to attend the start of a new reign.'
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/gb/royals/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - ->AdvertisementHarry was placed behind William for the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020, his final event before moving to the US.
At his grandmother's funeral last September, he and Meghan were squeezed into a corner at the end of the second row - with a candle even obscuring a clear view of the Duchess.
At the Jubilee service in June last year, Harry and Meghan were shown to their places without fanfare before his father and brother arrived and there was absolutely no eye contact from the other senior royals when they walked in.
The Sussexes found themselves in the second row on the other side of the cathedral next to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their husbands, the only members of the Royal Family who still talk to them.
It was the equivalent - at least for Harry - of social Siberia. The Times newspaper even waspishly described them as the 'second-rank Sussexes' and 'not nearly as important as before'.
That event was a year after their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in which the couple made a series of allegations about the Royal Family.
Matters have only got worse since, with their tell-all Netflix series and Harry's score-settling memoir accompanied by interviews lambasting his family.
The King and Prince William have had no meaningful dialogue with Harry since the late Queen's funeral and there is little to suggest that will change soon.
It is likely that front row seats at the Coronation will be reserved for working members of the Royal Family. Harry will play no part in the official procession, walking in and out as a guest.
It is likely that the family will want to minimise unhelpful body language in front of the cameras so will no doubt seat Harry with 'safer' members of the family.
Although it would be tempting to try to heal the wounds by seating him with senior royals, it could prove a huge distraction.
Another source suggested that Harry and team were 'much more attuned' to how things now need to work given his and Meghan's position as non-working royals.
One insider, however, also raised the intriguing prospect of whether Harry might be given a more prominent position now that he is attending without his wife.
Harry's preoccupation with the seating plan was one of the reasons he was so late in confirming his decision to attend the crowning of his father King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and then-Prince Charles at Westminster Abbey in March 2019
Pictured: Camilla, King Charles III, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew at Windsor Castle on April 9
Harry secured a four-book deal worth GBP16million in advance; and is in line to receive many times that in royalties -- experts suggest more than GBP30million in total
There has been a palpable sense of relief at that development, not least because Harry is always more defensive when it comes to anything involving Meghan.
There is little prospect of seating plans being given out by Buckingham Palace in advance, so it is likely that the public will not find out until the day.
Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for the Sussexes announced simultaneously on Wednesday - in a sign of how delicate negotiations have been - that Harry would be attending without Meghan, who has opted to stay at their Californian mansion with their children Archie and Lilibet.
Prince Archie, as he will be known, will turn four on the day.
That is why, supporters of the Sussexes maintain, the duchess has chosen not to attend.
However others have briefed that Meghan sees her future in the US and that her 'focus' is on that, suggesting she has no intention to returning to the UK soon.
Friends of the Sussexes have said that attending the Coronation will be Harry's only engagement during a 'fairly quick trip'.
It was yesterday revealed that although Meghan Markle received an invite to the coronation, royal ex-wife Sarah Ferguson did not.
Although her disgraced ex-husband the Duke of York and her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie will attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Fergie will only join the royals at a private gathering after its conclusion.
She was known as a close friend and confidante of the late Queen and was invited to her state funeral.
But in good news for the King, sources close to Prince Andrew last night rubbished claims that he was planning his own tell-all memoir, saying he is 'full square' in his support of his older brother.