Prince Harry is in a ‘predicament’ over whether he and Meghan will attend King’s Coronation because they fear being accused of ‘snubbing’ royal family if they stay away, or being booed by public if they attend, friends say
- Harry is reportedly in a ‘complicated predicament’ over Coronation attendance
- Friends say he and Meghan are weighing the ‘million different variables’ at play
- Harry wants to be by Charles’ side and hopes to salvage familial relationships
Prince Harry is understood to be in a ‘predicament’ over whether or not he should attend his father’s coronation in May.
Friends of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex say the couple are ‘in limbo’ and are weighing the ‘million different variables’ impacting their attendance decision.
Harry wants to be by the King’s side on ‘pretty much the most important day’ and hopes to salvage his strained relationship with the Royal Family, sources close to the Duke told The Telegraph.
The insiders claim it’s a ‘complicated’ decision because the couple may be accused of ‘snubbing’ the family by not attending but also risk ‘being booed or labelled hypocrites.’
Prince Harry is understood to be in a ‘predicament’ over whether or not he should attend his father’s coronation in May. Friends of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex say the couple are ‘in limbo’ and are weighing the ‘million different variables’ impacting their attendance decision. Pictured: Harry and Meghan in Sydney, Australia in 2018
Sources close to the couple claim it’s a ‘complicated’ decision because the couple may be accused of ‘snubbing’ the family by not attending but also risk ‘being booed or labelled hypocrites.’ Pictured: Queen Consort Camilla, King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate
The coronation of King Charles III is set for May 6 with invitations expected to be sent out soon
The couple’s friends say they will not make a decision about attending the coronation until a formal invitation arrives at their home in California.
They will then decide if they will go to the historic event together or if Harry, 38, would attend without Meghan. It is also possible that neither makes an appearance.
If either Harry or Meghan, 41, visit the UK for the ceremony, it is understood that their visit would be ‘brief.’
‘They do not have any insight,’ a friend said of their looming decision. ‘They’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.’
MailOnline approached Harry and Meghan’s representatives via email for comment.
The friend’s remarks come after a source close to the couple revealed last week that if Harry attends the Coronation, he will want a meeting with the King and Prince William before he leaves the US.
The Sussexes are expected to be invited to the Coronation on May 6 despite the fallout from Harry’s explosive memoir Spare released last month.
If they choose to travel from their home in Montecito, California, to attend the event at Westminster Abbey, they will do so as normal congregation members.
Some Royal Family members were reported to be ‘spitting feathers’ over claims in Harry’s book and his media campaign to promote it, according to royal sources.
Harry has not spoken to the King or William about whether he will attend, with invitations set to be sent out imminently, The Mirror reported.
But he is reported to want a meeting with his father and brother before he travels to the UK.
Harry and Meghan (pictured in 2018) have not yet decided whether they will attend the coronation, a source has said. They are not expected to make a decision until a formal invitation arrives at their home in California
Harry is reported not to have spoken to the King or Prince William about his attendance at the coronation. Charles and William are pictured in November 2021
One scenario could see Meghan stay at home in California as Harry travels to the UK alone. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured in November 2019
A source told the newspaper: ‘Harry has been very clear and his position hasn’t wavered – he isn’t going to come if he feels the atmosphere will be as toxic as it was during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and funeral.
‘He’s said he wants to reconcile with his family and it’s their call, but so far nothing has changed.’
It is understood that those who want to attend the coronation will need to RSVP to the invitation by the start of April.
If he does go, Harry will not have any special role and he and Meghan, 41, would not be allowed to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with other royals.
Royal sources recently suggested officials would ensure that Harry would not be seated next to his brother.
The prince could also travel from the US to London without Meghan, in part because their son Archie’s fourth birthday falls on the same day as the crowning.
Such a plan could see Harry whisked in and out of Britain in a 48-hour so-called ‘Harry in a hurry’ trip.
It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed last month the Archbishop of Canterbury could intercede to negotiate a deal between Harry and his family to attend the coronation.
The King (pictured with his wife in November 2015) is reported to want a slimmed-down and ‘diverse’ ceremony in May. Charles has cut the guest list to around 2,000 people, down from the 8,000 who watched his mother Queen Elizabeth II being crowned in 1953
It was suggested that they might accept the invitation if they were given a prominent pew and an undertaking that Harry would not lose his royal titles.
The King is reported to want a slimmed-down and ‘diverse’ ceremony in May.
Charles has cut the guest list to around 2,000 people, down from the 8,000 who watched his mother Queen Elizabeth II being crowned in 1953.
He has also halved the organisational time from the 16 months it took to prepare for his mother’s service.
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