Exactly one month before the coronation of King Charles III. The dispute with his younger son Prince Harry burdens the preparations for the historic ceremony. It is eagerly awaited whether the 38-year-old and his wife Duchess Meghan (41) will travel to London for the celebration on May 6th. The uncertainty is giving planners a major headache, the Daily Mail newspaper reported this week. Seating plan, but also transport and security urgently need to be clarified, royal sources told the newspaper.
More and more details are becoming known about the coronation in London’s Westminster Abbey. After the religious ceremony, Charles and Camilla – who will then only be called the Queen and no longer the King’s wife – will return to Buckingham Palace in the golden state carriage. They are followed by the closest family members, but not Harry and Meghan – if they are there at all. The couple will also not appear on the balcony of the City Palace when Charles and Co. wave to the crowd and a flight squadron flies over the British capital in honor of the Royal Family, palace sources confirmed to the Mirror newspaper.
Deep ditch in the family
The gulf between Harry and Meghan on the one hand and the rest of the royal family on the other is deep. The couple’s severe criticism has still not been resolved: Harry has accused his stepmother Camilla of leaking information to the tabloids in order to be presented positively at his expense. The fifth in line to the throne also dealt against brother Prince William and father Charles. The king and heir apparent have not spoken to Harry for months.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have made several demands to attend the coronation. So they should insist on a clarifying conversation. Also to mark their son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, which is right on Coronation Day, the couple are finally demanding a seat at the balcony gig, British tabloids have reported. But only 15 royals are planned for the much-noticed event, as the newspaper “Mirror” reported.
There, but not in the middle: in Westminster Abbey, Harry and Meghan would get good seats that were appropriate for the king’s son, it said. But most of the family will give the couple the cold shoulder and are said to be hoping that Harry and Meghan will be placed far away. An inside source told The Mirror: “The King has made it very clear who is to represent the monarchy. There is little room for sentiment. This is a state occasion, not a family celebration and it is true that only working members of the family at this big public moment.”
Since moving to California, Harry and Meghan are no longer “working royals” who attend public appointments on behalf of the family. This also applies to Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who has fallen out of favor for his involvement in an abuse scandal and will also not be on the balcony. Commentator Judith Woods surmised that Harry and Meghan had already decided to come, but would not yet confirmed for tactical reasons. “I suspect they are deliberately and cynically promoting their brand by reminding everyone how important they really are to the House of Windsor,” she wrote in the Telegraph on Good Friday. In fact, this is a sign of very bad manners.
At the traditional Maundy Thursday service Royal Maundy, the king in York was demonstratively unimpressed and waved a smile to onlookers. At the side of the king’s wife Camilla, the 74-year-old distributed specially minted coins to 74 women and men in the northern English city who have rendered outstanding services to their communities. Some noisy protesters posted signs saying he was “Not my king”. Opponents of the monarchy also want to make their voices heard with protests around the coronation.
