Coronation prediction: Prince Harry will attend solo without Meghan, royal watcher says
LONDON - A royal watcher who worked for the prince's mother, Princess Diana, predicts Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, but is likely to go solo.
Harry's wife, Meghan, won't be "brave or strong enough" to attend, Paul Burrell, who worked for Diana for over 10 years until her sudden death in 1997, expects.
"It's likely to be incredibly uncomfortable for them if they attend, particularly Meghan," Burrell told The Mirror. "Are they prepared to face the music?"
Whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend had been a source of speculation. Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020 amid a rift with the royal family. That continues with the recent release of Harry's memoir, "Spare," in which he discusses a dysfunctional relationship with his family.
If Harry attends, it will be the first face-to-face meeting between Harry and his father since Charles became king.
A spokesperson for the duke and duchess confirmed last week they had been invited to Charles' coronation in May.
But there was no word on whether they would make the trip. The couple's residence is in California.
Previous stories
Prince Harry and Meghan's children now carry royal titles of prince and princess of Sussex
Prince Harry and Meghan facing eviction from Windsor Castle residence after tell-all memoir: reports
Harry and Meghan invited to King Charles' coronation, but will they attend?
By inviting the exiled royals to the May 6 coronation, the king "retained the moral high ground," Burrell told the Mirror.
Ultimately, "the ball is well and truly in Harry and Meghan's court," Burrell said, adding it will be difficult for Harry to see Queen Consort Camilla "where his mother could have been."
While promoting "Spare" in a "60 Minutes" interview, the duke famously described Camilla as a "villain" and the third person in the marriage between Charles and Diana, according to the New York Post.
The comment was reportedly the driving factor in the King's decision to evict the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage, their home on the grounds of Windsor Castle when they visited the United Kingdom.
"I don't think Meghan's brave or strong enough to be there -- she'd have to look in the eyes of a family she's pushed under the bus," Burrell said.
If the couple were to attend, they likely would receive a very chilly reception, the Daily Mail reported.
"'Many of the family just want nothing more to do with them. If they have to see them at the Coronation then so be it, but they do not want to socialize with them,' a family friend told the Daily Mail. "One said to me, 'I hope they'll be seated in Iceland.'"
More from cleveland.com:
President Joe Biden issues executive order to bolster gun background checks
Joe Biden's 2024 budget plan would bring back monthly £300 payments to families with children
Chipotle debuts chicken al pastor with splash of pineapple for limited time
Should daylight saving time be permanent?
Sen.
Marco Rubio moves to 'lock the clock'