Prince Harry and his family were invited to the coronation of Charles III, but the youngest son had to settle for an email when he was hoping for a phone call
These two questions have had British monarchy experts in a tizzy for months: will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle be invited to the coronation of Charles III? And if they are, will they make the trip? While the Duke and Duchess eventually received their invitation to the most anticipated royal event of the year, if not the decade, it didn’t quite take the form they had hoped for. After openly stating in an interview with journalist Tom Bradby in early January that he was not averse to a discussion with family members to sort things out, the Duke of Sussex was indeed expecting a call from his father in person.
It must have been a great disappointment when he finally found out about the invitation by email, sent by the sovereign’s office. “They hadn’t heard from Charles. Harry wanted to hear from his father directly,” a close friend of the Sussexes told People magazine, which devoted the front page of its May 1 issue to the royal couple. The father and son have nevertheless managed to make contact and have had “positive conversations” according to one source but “still not through anyone”, the Sussex friend said.
Prince Harry solo in London
The news was confirmed by Buckingham Palace on 12 April: Prince Harry has accepted the invitation to attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, on 6 May. While the news may seem like good news for fans of the British royal family, who hope for a reconciliation between the Duke of Sussex and the rest of the Firm, the announcement was a bit of a shock, as Charles and Diana’s youngest son will set foot on British soil alone. His wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will remain in the United States, where the little family will celebrate the boy’s fourth birthday, which falls on the same day as his grandfather’s coronation.
“It’s an elegant solution. [Archie’s birthday] gave them a reasonable excuse for Meghan not to come,” said royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith. “Meghan wanted to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the attention she’s getting outweighs the support,” the couple’s friend defended her to People.
Photo credits: Zuma Press/Bestimage
I hope this family can meand Thier differences . I hope King Charles lll has a very special day.