It's the question that has been on every royal fan's lips for months: Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend King Charles III's coronation? Now, finally, Buckingham Palace have issued a statement clearing up speculation and confirming that whilst the Duke of Sussex will be in attendance for his father's big day, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, will be remain at home in California with their two children, Archie and Lili.
The coronation is set to be the first time that Prince Harry will be seen in public with the Royal Family since his bombshell memoir, SPARE, was released – which painted a fairly damning portrait of his relationship with not only his brother, Prince William, but (at times) Charles and the Queen Consort, Camilla, as well as Palace staff.
In full, Buckingham Palace's statement reads: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
Earlier this year, it was reported that King Charles wanted to broker a deal with the Sussexes to ensure that both would be in attendance at his coronation, and a source close to Prince Harry supposedly said (via The Mirror) that the Duke would only be willing to fly over to the UK if there was a promise that environment wouldn't be "toxic".
"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," the insider claimed. "He's said he wants to reconcile with his family and it's their call, but so far nothing has changed."
Despite Prince Harry confirming he'll be making the trip across the pond, it's not likely that he will play a key role in the ceremony, given he's no longer a working royal. Experts are also predicting that it'll be a relatively quick stopover for the Prince.
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As for Meghan's lack of attendance, it's worth remembering that the King's coronation falls on the same day that Archie Harrison turns four, so perhaps it was decided that the Duchess of Sussex will remain at home to carry out plans to celebrate their son's birthday.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
