Awkwardly, the King just booted the couple out of their British home.
We’re just a few weeks out from King Charles’ coronation, and there’s been enough drama surrounding the ceremony to last an entire reign. Between reports that the royal palace was struggling to land a performer for the event to speculation on which politicians would be skipping out, the royal family seemed to have an issue filling out the guest list. At the top of many royal enthusiast’s lists of questions was if Harry and Meghan would be at the coronation, and we finally have an answer. Read on for what Buckingham Palace has to say about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s presence at Westminster Abbey next month.
When is King Charles’ coronation?
The coronation is due to take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, a magnificent 2,200-capacity venue that dates back to 1269. The King’s closest family and friends, major public figures, and political leaders and dignitaries from around the world will attend. (President Biden recently confirmed that he won’t be one of them, but will be sending a representative in his place.) The celebrations will last for three days, and include a national bank holiday on Monday, May 8.
A statement from Buckingham Palace has described the celebration as “a solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry,” that reflects “the Monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions.”
The reference to the future has been taken to indicate a more minimal affair than Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years ago, a decision potentially influenced both by an evolution in the country’s attitude towards the monarch, and a crippling cost of living crisis.
Will Harry and Meghan attend King Charles III’s coronation?
In early March, Harry and Meghan released a statement suggesting they’d been invited to King Charles III’s coronation but would wait to make a final decision about attending.
“I can confirm the Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation,” a spokesperson for the couple said, adding, “An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time.”
In April, Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry will be attending the coronation, but Meghan and their children will not.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” the palace said in a statement.
Do Prince Harry and King Charles speak?
Tensions between Prince Harry and his family members have reportedly been strained for years — particularly since his and Meghan’s decision to move to the U.S. and renounce their royal duties — but things got really awkward after the publication of Harry’s memoir, Spare. Among the bombshell revelations in the book, Prince Harry detailed a few physical and verbal altercations he got into with his brother Prince William, and he accused William of calling Meghan “difficult, rude and abrasive.” Although Buckingham Palace did not release an official statement, sources told various tabloids that Charles was “outraged” at Harry for airing so much of the family’s private business.
Still, Harry said in January that “the door is always open” for a reconciliation with his family, but two months later, Charles booted him and Meghan from their British home, Frogmore Cottage.
The 10-bedroom house, which sits on the high-security Windsor Estate, was given to the couple by the late Queen Elizabeth. The protection it offered was a major bonus for the couple, who’ve had to pay for their own private security since being cut off by the Crown. (Prince Andrew, who paid Virginia Giuffre a $16.3 million settlement in the U.S.-based civil sexual assault case against him last year, was reportedly offered the cottage.)
Do Harry and Meghan still have their royal titles?
In 2021, Harry and Meghan were stripped of their honorary military appointments and royal patronages by Queen Elizabeth, though they are allowed to use Duke and Duchess of Sussex. After some public back-and-forth, Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lilibet were given the titles of prince and princess, respectively, in March 2023.
And although Harry’s prince title was given to him at birth and can’t be taken away, the same can’t be said of his Duke of Windsor title, which was given to him by the late Queen Elizabeth when he married Meghan Markle in 2018. Some outlets are reporting that the decision to strip the Duke and Duchess of Windsor of those honorifics is being “discussed at the highest level,” according to a new book by British journalist Robert Jobson. Still, Jobson said that King Charles does not intend to do that, but other unnamed senior royals may demand he do so, especially if Harry continues to speak negatively of the royal family.
