It was the news that King Charles III, coronation organizers, and royal watchers had been waiting for: Would Prince Harry attend the upcoming coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6?
The question has been hanging over the preparations, which were said to be in disarray, and there was no doubt that Prince Harry’s reluctance to RSVP was an integral part of that supposed chaos.
But around 3 p.m. today the fog lifted and it became clear what the Sussexes’ intentions were. A statement read, “Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.” And now the discourse starts.
Already, Meghan and Harry supporters, as well as those less fond of the couple have started weighing in on the reasons why Prince Harry will attend solo. It is worth noting, and I have noted it repeatedly in the past, that May 6 is also Harry and Meghan’s first-born son Archie’s 4th birthday.
That could be a major reason why Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex decided to stay behind in California, perhaps for a celebration for Archie with family and friends. Parents the world over, who are lucky enough to parent with a partner, will know that this is common - it’s simply dividing the load and parents have been doing it for years.
Perhaps Meghan also decided that she simply didn’t want to endure a potentially baying crowd, she had no desire to enter a hostile environment fuelled by British tabloid newspapers, which she is well within her rights to do.
But there are people who will say she should be by Harry’s side, supporting him at this momentous occasion for his family.
Prince Harry’s popularity is on the decline, putting on a united front could be great for both of them. Some supporters of the couple will be disappointed not to see them together at this occasion, whilst others are pleased that Meghan and Harry took the decision to protect Meghan, as much as they can, from criticism if they attended. The fact is, neither Harry nor Meghan feel that they both have to be at the coronation for the sake of their brand or the brand of Royal family.
As is tradition with the Sussexes, they are doing it their way. Had Harry and Meghan decided to attend together, this would have brought about a whole other set of opinions, they would be accused of trying to steal the limelight by turning up together, and if they had both decided to stay away they would have been branded selfish. One thing is clear, whatever decision they came to, they couldn’t do right for doing wrong.
RELATIONSHIPS UNDER STRAIN
Unless you have been living under a rock, it’s pretty obvious that the relationships between King Charles III and Prince Harry, and between Prince Harry and his brother Prince William, the Prince of Wales have hit an all-time low.
So, will this speed up any hopes of a reconciliation? Since the release of the “Harry & Meghan” documentary on Netflix and Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” there hasn’t been any meaningful conversation between Harry and his father or sibling, even though Harry made a surprise trip to the U.K. because of his part in a court case against the Daily Mail publisher. It’s thought that Harry didn’t see King Charles III or Prince William and his main focus of that trip was the court case.
Although we will see Prince Harry at the coronation service at Westminster Abbey, we shouldn’t expect to see him on the balcony after the coronation procession - after all he isn’t a working Royal so why would we? We also shouldn’t expect to see any pictures of Prince Harry arm-in-arm with either Prince William or King Charles III and expect to hear that everything is back to normal and the war of the Windsors is over. That will take a heck of a long time.
But, perhaps Prince Harry taking this step and attending the coronation, albeit on his own and on his own terms, is the first step on the long road to some kind of reconciliation with his family. After all, like he said on the press run for “Spare” that is what he so desperately wants. Speaking to ITV’s Tom Bradby, Prince Harry said, “Forgiveness is 100 per cent a possibility because I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”
It’s clear that forgiveness and accountability is needed on both sides for any reconciliation to happen. Prince Harry’s presence at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla may just be the catalyst needed for that to happen.
