A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that in recent weeks the couple had been invited to the celebration by email, but did not confirm if they would attend. The news of Prince Harry’s presence also comes after no family member turned up at Lilibet’s christening.
Although there is no official confirmation from either party, the British press such as BBC they interpret the absence of Meghan Markle at the coronation as a message of the evident distance and the tension between the Sussexes and the royal family have not been resolved.
In addition to Prince Harry’s memoirs, the couple spoke at length about their problems with the family, the tabloids and much of the UK public opinion in the six-episode documentary that premiered on Netflix in December 2022.
Prince Harry is not expected to have a prominent role during the coronation, in which his brother William will be central as heir to the throne. In recent days the British media have also reported that Charles III intends for only serving members of the royal family to salute on Buckingham’s balcony and take part in the post-ceremony tour at Westminster Abbey.
For this reason, Prince Harry would remain in the background since he ceased to be an active member of the royal family in 2020, when he and Meghan Markle left the United Kingdom. This situation was already experienced in the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, when the Sussexes were the great absentees from this celebration —together with Prince Andrew— in the balcony photograph.
On this occasion, all eyes will be on any gesture or conversation between princes Harry and William, whose relationship has disappeared for several years.
The coronation of Carlos III will be the return of the Duke of Sussex to the British capital after his reappearance unexpectedly last March to participate in a trial in the High Court of Justice. Prince Harry is part of a class action lawsuit, in which he is accompanied by singer Elton John or actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, against Associated Newspapers Ltd, a group that produces and publishes the Daily Mail. During that visit to London, the son of Carlos III did not meet his father or his brother.