Prince Harry to attend coronation, but Meghan staying at home with …
Prince Harry will attend his father's coronation, but his wife Meghan will miss the occasion and stay in California with the couple's children, Buckingham Palace has announced. arry, who laid bare his troubled relationship with the royal family in his Netflix documentary and autobiography Spare, will be there to witness King Charles and stepmother the Queen Consort Camilla being crowned in Westminster Abbey on May 6. Meghan will instead stay in the US with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The palace said in a brief statement yesterday: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6. "The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet." The news ends months of "Will they?
Won't they?" speculation about whether the couple would show up to the King's big day, but will undoubtedly see Meghan accused of snubbing the monarch and the royal family. May 6 is Archie's fourth birthday, and his celebrations played a part in the duchess's decision to remain in the US, sources said. Archewell, Harry and Meghan's charitable foundation, issued a near identical statement to the palace confirming Harry will join guests at the coronation.
His attendance will see him appear in a public setting with Charles; Camilla; his brother William, the Prince of Wales; sister-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales; and the rest of his family for the first time since he lambasted the royals in his memoir. It will also be the first time he has been pictured with the Windsors since the funeral of his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth. Harry criticised Charles's parenting, said the king was jealous of Meghan and Kate, and accused William of physically attacking him in his tell-all book, which was published in January.
He also branded Camilla "dangerous" and accused her of sacrificing him on her own "personal PR altar". He went on to allege it was William and Kate who encouraged him to notoriously dress up as a Nazi at a fancy dress party. Harry's inflammatory claims were seen as damaging his fragile relationship with his brother - the future king - beyond repair, and further troubling his dealings with Charles and the rest of the family.
In the three years since the Sussexes stepped down as senior working royals, they have been critical of the monarchy, telling their story in their Netflix documentary and in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan were asked earlier this year to vacate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, in a move sanctioned by the king. It is unclear what the arrangements will be for Harry's security while he is in London.
The duke is taking legal action against the Home Office over his security arrangements in the UK.
It has not been confirmed whether Harry will play any particular role in the coronation ceremony, whether he will join the carriage procession or appear on the palace balcony with the royal family.
The duke has a claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over phone hacking allegations being heard at the High Court, with the trial due to start on May 9, three days after the coronation.