Cancellations, family differences and little interest in British society in the coronation of King Charles III. spoil the final spurt to the ceremony in three weeks. The fact that Prince Harry is arriving without his family is “a solution that suits everyone,” quoted the “Sunday Times” as a royal insider source. But the rift between Harry and the royal family should mean that the royals are looking forward to his visit with mixed feelings.
The palace announced a few days ago that Harry (38) would arrive at Westminster Abbey for the coronation on May 6, but that his wife Meghan (41) and their children Archie (3) and Lilibet (1) would stay at home.
Reduced guest list
Brother Prince William, from whom Harry is particularly estranged, is trying not to think about the reunion, the newspaper reported, citing William’s closest circle. When he thinks about the coronation, he realizes that it is a fundamental moment in his father’s life and also an important one for him as heir to the throne, a staffer said. He and Princess Kate have “an irrefutable sense of duty” that is paramount.
A confidant of the king’s wife Camilla told the newspaper that she felt hurt by Harry’s allegations against her. “Of course it bothers you, of course it hurts you,” Lady Fiona Lansdowne told the Sunday Times. However, Camilla’s philosophy is basically not to make a big scene, but to wait until things calm down. In his memoirs, Harry had accused Camilla, among other things, of deliberately leaking private information about him and his brother to the press.
Not only Meghan stays at home. US President Joe Biden and several representatives of the Scandinavian royal houses have also canceled. Others should cause displeasure that they were not invited in the first place. Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife (63), is not on the guest list, the BBC reported at the weekend, citing her own source.
Royals not very popular
Another headline is likely to worry the royal family more: Although the major event is increasingly filling the British newspapers and preparations are in full swing, according to a survey, most Britons are unimpressed: Two-thirds of those surveyed do not speak the historic event particularly (35 percent) or not at all (29 percent).
At 75 percent, dislike is particularly high among younger people aged 18 to 24, the Yougov survey institute said on Friday. But even among the people over the age of 65 who were clearly more loyal to the monarchy, 53 percent said that they were not very interested in the event.
This lack of interest could also affect the course of the extended weekend to the coronation. The Monday after the ceremony is set as the so-called “Big Help Out” day, on which the British should use the additional holiday to do something good for the community.
According to the Guardian, however, not many volunteers have reported so far. “My concern is that this will be a non-starter that will undermine efforts to get people involved even further,” Richard Harries, director of social communities at the nonprofit Young Foundation, told the newspaper. The willingness to get involved is steadily decreasing. “You can’t sugarcoat that.”
Official figures from the British government support this observation: In the past eight years, the number of Britons who do voluntary work at least once a year has fallen from 45 to 27 percent.
