Prince Harry will 'sit 10 rows back at King Charles' coronation'

Prince Harry will 'sit 10 rows back' from other royals at King Charles' coronation and will 'not hang around', expert claims

Prince Harry could be seated ten rows behind his brother at the coronation
Former butler Paul Burrell said he believes there is 'no chance' of reconciliation

Published: 23:16, 23 April 2023 | Updated: 09:40, 24 April 2023

Prince Harry will be seated ten rows behind other senior royals at his father's coronation before he makes a hasty exit, according to one royal insider.

Former butler Paul Burrell says the Duke of Sussex may have little time to speak to the King or his brother, the Prince of Wales, during his visit next month.

He added there is 'no chance' of a reconciliation between the duke and the rest of his family following the fallout from his bombshell memoir Spare earlier this year, The Sun reports.

Although his position at the Westminster Abbey ceremony may give the impression of a snub, being far back in the audience will also help him if he wishes to make a quick exit, the ex-royal aide revealed.

Mr Burrell told GB News' Dan Wootton: 'He doesn't want to spend much time around them [his family].

Former butler Paul Burrell says the Duke of Sussex (pictured with his wife Meghan after the death of the late Queen in 2022) may have little time to speak to the King and Queen during his coronation visit next month

It comes after it emerged Meghan Markle wrote to King Charles about unconscious bias in the Royal family after her bombshell Oprah interview.

Pictured: the Duchess of Sussex with King Charles in March 2019 at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey

'There is no chance of a reconciliation any time soon, I'm afraid - I think he will get a very icy reception from the Windsors.'

Mr Burrell believes the Duke of Sussex 'is not going to hang around', with some sources speculating he could be in and out of the UK within 24 hours in a flyby trip.

Mr Burrell said: 'He is coming to put his foot in the door and he is coming because his father wants him to be there.'

Despite this, Mr Burrell, who was a close attendant of Princess Diana, said the King 'will be delighted' both of his sons will be present at his crowning.

The Duchess of Sussex has said the suggestion that she is missing the coronation because of a letter she sent to King Charles over racism and 'unconscious bias' inside the Royal Family is 'frankly ridiculous'.

On Friday, it was reported that Meghan wrote to King Charles after her bombshell Oprah interview, and she reportedly named the individual accused of speculating about her unborn son Archie's skin colour.

It is understood that it was sent in reply to a letter from the King - the only senior member of the family to make contact with the duchess after Meghan and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.

A source told the Daily Telegraph that the duchess will not attend the coronation on May 6 because she received a unsatisfactory response from the King.

But Sussex insider Omid Scobie has released a statement from the Duchess of Sussex which said, in response to the reports, that it they were 'false' and 'frankly ridiculous'.

It is understood that the letter was sent in reply to the King - the only senior member of the family to make contact with the duchess after Meghan and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 (pictured)

The Duchess of Sussex's letter reportedly named the individual accused of speculating about her unborn son Archie's skin colour - but went on to claim the person wasn't racist (pictured with Prince Archie in Cape Town in September 2019 while touring South Africa)

Writing on Twitter, Mr Scobie posted: 'The Duchess of Sussex is going about her life in the present, not thinking about correspondence from two years ago related to conversations from four years ago.

'Any suggestion otherwise is false and frankly ridiculous.

'We encourage tabloid media and various other royal correspondents to stop exhausting the circus that they alone are creating.'

The earlier reports said that Buckingham Palace is also aware of the Sussexes' frustration that initial correspondence about the coronation made no reference to their children.

Harry will attend the celebration on May 6 alone, while Meghan looks after Prince Archie on his fourth birthday and Princess Lilibet in California.

A royal insider suggested that while the exchange with Charles was warm in tone, it had not eased the tension between the two sides.

Relations continued to sour after the Sussexes' six-part Netflix docu-series and the publication of the Harry's tell-all memoir, Spare.

Charles, who at the time was Prince of Wales, is said to be disappointed that Meghan and Harry felt the need to make such damaging allegations public.

He recently gave backing to a research project into the monarch's historical links to the transatlantic slave trade, having previously expressed 'personal sorrow'.

MailOnline contacted the Sussexes for comment but received no response, with the couple instead releasing the statement through Mr Scobie.

Prince Harry has touched on unconscious bias in the past. In January this year, he spoke to Tom Bradby on ITV to promote his memoir.

The presenter said 'in the Oprah interview you accused members of your family of racism', Harry responded by saying 'no I didn't', adding 'the British Press said that'.

After Bradby said the duchess claimed troubling comments were made about Archie's skin colour, Harry said: 'There was - there was concern about his skin colour.'

Asked if he would describe that as racist, the duke said: 'I wouldn't, not having lived within that family.'

He continued: 'The difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different.'

Meghan said the comment over Archie's skin was not made with malice. But a source told the Daily Telegraph that the duchess will not attend the coronation on May 6 because she received a unsatisfactory response from the King (pictured with the King and Queen Consort in May 2018)

Buckingham Palace is also aware of the Sussexes' frustration that initial correspondence about the Coronation made no reference to their children.

Pictured at Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth day service in 2019

'But once it's been acknowledged, or pointed out to you as an individual, or as an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you therefore have an opportunity to learn and grow from that in order so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.'

It has also been reported that Prince Harry was 'desperate' to be at the Coronation to publicly support his father because he is 'homesick'.

The Sun also reported on Friday that despite the Duke having made repeated attempts to contact the King to discuss the plans during his time back in London, his father has only been able to pencil in time for one conversation.

It is understood that Harry was 'missing aspects of British life' and 'may start spending more time' in the UK.

A source told the publication: 'Harry was desperate to come back for the Coronation and spend quality time with his family.'