Harry still hasn't confirmed Coronation attendance causing seating …
With just weeks to go until King Charles' Coronation the all important seating plan is still up in the air as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are yet to confirm their attendance. It comes after the pair missed the April 3 cut off point to confirm whether or not they would be attending the King's Coronation. It's just one of a myriad of issues which have emerged in the run up to the once in a generation event.
More than three years ago, on January 8, 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced via their Instagram page that they would be stepping back from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family. The decision became known as 'Megxit', with the pair saying the decision came "after many months of reflection and internal discussions".
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King Charles III and the Queen Consort (PA)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (PA)
The couple decided to split their time between the UK and Meghan's native North America. Following the announcement, Prince Harry met with his father, now King Charles, and Prince William at the Queen's Sandringham estate.
Following the discussion, which is said to have lasted 90 minutes, the Queen released an emotional statement. In it she said: "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family. "Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."
In March 2020, just three months after the announcement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to California with son Archie. A year later, the pair dropped a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Former actress Meghan Markle talked about "concerns" about the colour of Archie's skin, and "being silenced" by the Firm.
The King will be crowned next month (PA)
It was a tense time for the Royal Family as a wave of allegations and comments about how the family worked were released and scrutinised.
Following the late Queen's death, Harry and Meghan were spotted with Prince William and Kate Middleton at Windsor Castle in what was described as an "important show of unity". Then came the Netflix series. It dropped on the streaming platform in December, 2022, with the first few episodes opening up about the couple's early relationship and royal life behind the scenes.
The last three episodes talked of the couple's decision to step back from royal duties, and reactions from other, senior, family members. Harry shared that he encountered a "terrifying" confrontation with brother William and dad Charles when they met at Sandringham. "It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren't true and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in," he said.
The procession will go from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey (AP)
Now, their lack of confirmation when it comes to the King's Coronation is causing issues with the seating plan.
It's not the only issue facing the King's coronation, though, with fears the King could stumble over his robes, rows over the Coronation route, whether women will wear tiaras into the church before the Queen Consort, Camilla, enters the Abbey, and Prince Andrew facing a ban over wearing Garter Knight robes following his exile from the family. There are also concerns that the Coronation could overrun, after rehearsals overran significantly. It's left organisers facing fears that viewers will simply switch off.
But royal sources have attempted to dampen anxiety, saying: "It's fair to say it will go down to the wire, but there is huge confidence everything will go to plan on the day.
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey (Getty Images)
"This is naturally a huge event and the important point is everyone is pulling in the right direction. "The King and Queen Consort want it to be perfect as does everyone involved which is why everything is being done to make it so." The original Coronation was planned to last 90 minutes, which is far shorter than the late Queen's 1956 Coronation which lasted three hours and 20 minutes.
Organisers have also been trying to have a smaller procession for the Coronation route, in order to keep costs down amid scrutiny and a country-wide cost of living crisis.
Insiders revealed the King was understood to be in favour of a larger procession, taking him and the Queen through the streets of central London.
But senior aides decided it would be too much, voicing concerns over the spiralling costs of policing the event.