Kate Middleton Reportedly ‘Relieved’ Meghan Markle Is Not Attending King Charles’ Coronation

On Wednesday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their decision on attending King Charles’ coronation. Harry confirmed that he will be in attendance for his father’s coronation, which will take place on May 6. However, Meghan will be staying behind in California with the couple’s two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. PEOPLE reported that the Duchess of Sussex decided against attending the coronation in order to celebrate Archie’s birthday, which also falls on May 6. Meghan’s decision allegedly has one particular member of the royal family, Kate Middleton, “relieved.”

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry will be in attendance for Charles’ big coronation day. At the same time, they also confirmed that he would be going back to his home country solo while the rest of his family stays behind in California. They stated, “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.” A close friend told PEOPLE that Harry made the decision to attend as he “wanted to be at the service to support his father at this important moment in his life.”

Until this confirmation, it was anyone’s guess as to whether Meghan and Harry would attend Charles’ coronation. Due to all of the reported strife within the royal family, it was unclear whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend such a major occasion with the likes of Prince William and Kate Middleton. But, now that it has been confirmed that Meghan is staying behind in the United States, the Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be “relieved” that they won’t see her at the event. GB News presenter Dan Wootton claimed, “You might be interested to know that there is a great deal of relief from the royal palaces. Particularly the Prince and Princess of Wales. Kate didn’t fancy the idea of having to go face-to-face with her sister-in-law.”

Alas, Meghan and Kate won’t come face-to-face at the coronation. One of the biggest contributing factors in Meghan’s decision to not attend the coronation was because it falls on Archie’s 4th birthday. While Harry is going to be in Westminster Abbey for his father’s coronation, he doesn’t plan on staying in the United Kingdom for very long. Royal reporter Omid Scobie said, “Expect it to be a fairly quick trip to the UK for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.”