On May 6, 2023 will take place the coronation of Charles III in London. Part of the program is already known and the roles of each member of the royal family are gradually taking shape. Prince Harry, however, has not yet decided whether he will attend. After his big unpacking, his chances to play an important role in the historic ceremony are diminishing.
History will be written on May 6, 2023. Almost 70 years to the day after the coronation of his mother, Elizabeth II, Charles III will wear the crown of Saint Edward. While the program of the ceremony and the weekend of celebration is gradually taking shape, the mystery remains about the presence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. How could they miss it? Invited and “very expected” at Westminster Abbey, the Sussexes have not yet confirmed their arrival. This one being conditioned by the respect of the requirements of the youngest son of Lady Diana. And if they could still hope to be entrusted with any role during the event, the great unpacking of their life at the Palace on Netflix and in bookstores, have made fly any possibility of participating actively.
In early 2022, the British press wrote that the exiled couple was “tipped to play a major role in Charles’ coronation,” despite their withdrawal from the Firm and their revelatory interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Only, months passed, Meghan and Harry made a very brief appearance at Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in June 2022, and the old demons of the Windsor clan finally resurfaced at the sudden passing of the sovereign. Last notified of the monarch’s death, Archie and Lilibet Diana’s parents attended multiple tributes to the queen as well as her state funeral. But grief was not enough to mop up everyone’s enmities.
How Harry and Meghan sabotaged their arrival at the coronation
Long planned and sealed by the signing of a very juicy contract from 2020, the documentary series Harry & Meghan, which arrived in full on Netflix in mid-December 2022, put a piece back into the resentment machine. Telling the beginning of their love story and exposing without filter on the reasons for their departure to the United States, the duke and duchess scandalized the English press and Buckingham, which refused to respond to the requests of the director Liz Garbus. A month later, the publication of the prince’s memoirs, entitled The Substitute, definitively buried any possibility of compromise.
Not only will Prince Harry not play a major role in his father’s coronation, he will be sidelined. Neither the media nor the British would understand that the rebels of the Crown are in the front row. But according to sources close to the Sussexes, the pair will now lose out in any scenario. If they choose not to come, they will be accused of “snubbing” the royals. Whereas if they do go, they will certainly be booed by the Crown’s staunch supporters. A Cornelian choice, therefore, that we can hardly imagine ending happily.
Photos credits: Bestimage