Meghan Markle will not accompany Prince Harry to his father’s coronation.
The Duke of Sussex will attend the May 6 coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Wednesday. “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,” they said in the statement.
Although there are three days of events surrounding the coronation, including a concert at Windsor Castle and a volunteer day, Harry is not expected to attend other outings aside from the crowning ceremony. The palace had no comment or guidance on whether Prince Harry will join King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation at this stage.
Meghan, 41, is staying in California with the couple’s two children. May 6 is also Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, and she will spend the weekend celebrating with him and his sister, 22-month-old Princess Lilibet, according to PEOPLE.
Royal historian Robert Lacey pointed out that despite tensions, the family has been able to unite before.
“There have been some very grave disagreements between them,” Lacey told PEOPLE. “But the Platinum Jubilee and the funerals of the Queen and Prince Philip did demonstrate that they could put personal enmity aside for the sake of the bigger cause. And that is what the coronation will be all about.”
The event is expected to be attended by other members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, whose oldest child Prince George, 9, will serve as one of the eight Pages of Honour that will walk the procession inside London’s Westminster Abbey.
Prince Harry and Meghan, who relocated to California after stepping down as senior royals in 2020, were with the rest of the royal family at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September. Last month, Harry also made an unannounced trip to the United Kingdom, where he attended London’s High Court for a legal case in which he and other prominent figures, including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Jude Law’s ex-wife Sadie Frost, are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail, for illegal information gathering.
