It’s been confirmed: Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, but Meghan Markle will not join him.
Buckingham Palace, in a statement to several media outlets, confirmed the Duke of Sussex’s attendance.
“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.”
The day of the King’s coronation also marks Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, and royal editor Omid Scobie tweeted that her son’s celebration influenced Markle’s decision to stay home.
Up until now, it was not known if Harry and Markle would attend the King’s crowning, which is set to take place in front of members of the Royal Family, world leaders, public figures and 450 charity and community group members.
The palace confirmation came after weeks of reports noting that Charles’ office has been in touch with Harry about the event. Harry’s attendance comes despite the rift within the House of Windsor prompted by Harry’s decision to reveal family secrets in his bestselling book, Spare.
The revelations, including details of private conversations with his father — and his brother, Prince William — fanned tensions between Harry and his family that became public when he and his wife moved to North America in 2020.
The book also included allegations that members of the Royal Family regularly feed the press unflattering information about other members of the House of Windsor in exchange for positive coverage of themselves.
Harry and Markle relocated to California in 2020 after stepping back as working members of the Royal Family. They were last seen publicly in the U.K. together when they attended the September funeral for Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
While on press rounds for Spare in January, Harry told ITV’s Tom Bradby of a possible coronation attendance: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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