The coronation of Charles III will be attended by around 2,000 guests, a figure notably lower than the 8,000 who attended the coronation of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Among the attendees will be representatives of various royal houses, although the presence of some not so welcome, as is the case of Prince Harry, is also expected.
It was only a few weeks ago that it was officially known that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation of his father, but he will do it alone, his wife Meghan Markle will not accompany him.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, so said the statement from the Duke and Duchess’s spokesperson.
How long will Harry stay in England?
Unlike Princess Anne or his brother, Prince William who will have prominent roles in the coronation ceremony, Harry will not participate in any function within the event. He will not even be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, so his stay is expected to be shorter than planned.
Harry will leave London quickly after the central event to return to California to celebrate the birthday of his firstborn son that same weekend and is that the Duke’s young son will be 4 years old the same day of the coronation, it is estimated that he will be in the UK for half a day or a day at most.
Katie Nicholl, a royal expert, spoke to Entertainment Tonight about why the coronation and Archie’s birthday on the same day are not necessarily a bad thing.
“Well, having the coronation on Archie’s birthday is definitely not a snub. I think it’s very much a happy coincidence,” Nicholl said. “Obviously, a huge amount of planning has to go into an important moment in history, such as a coronation, and the royal calendar is full of anniversaries and birthdays, so I think this is absolutely one of those occasions where it’s a coincidence and hopefully a happy coincidence.”
