It has been revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend the King’s Coronation this spring. In response to Harry’s allegations and criticism of the Royal Family in his memoir, Spare, a Whitehall source said a detailed plan is underway to ensure the couple does not overshadow proceedings, according to Express. They said they were on the list to ensure the proceedings go smoothly without drama. According to the outlet, officials are arranging seating arrangements at Westminster Abbey to prevent Harry and Prince William from being photographed together in public. The insider said a final guest list would be confirmed soon, and invitations will be sent out for the Westminster Abbey service. In addition to royals, dignitaries, and world leaders, Harry and Meghan are on the 2,000-strong list. Currently, the Palace is working closely with No10 and the Foreign Office to finalize the guest list. RSVPs are expected to be required by the start of April, so the Sussexes will have little time to decide whether to make the trip across the pond before the invites are sent out later this month. According to royal commentator Afua Hagan, Harry is committed to reconciling with his family. She said: “Attending the Coronation is the first step to reconciliation.”.
There are plans to ensure that no awkward encounters, such as a public reunion with William and Kate, will occur during Harry and Meghan’s attendance at the Coronation, insiders say. Their arrival at the Abbey will be similar to that at St Paul’s Cathedral last June when they arrived alone in a private car and sat opposite the Prince and Princess of Wales. To ensure working members of the Royal Family had priority at the event, the late Queen crafted this seating plan. In the second row, Harry and Meghan sat next to Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, who were at the bottom of the line of succession. In addition, the position of Harry and Meghan on the aisle will be carefully considered so that no shots of the brothers together will overshadow the big day. “The focus will be on the vertical line of succession,” royal historian Cindy McCreery told Express. “Precedence will be given to William, Kate, George and his siblings.” In attending the Coronation, Harry, and Meghan will mark another step in their quest to carve out a new brand for themselves, one that no longer involves public attacks on the Royal Family, royal commentators say.
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The Sussexes are said to have completed their “look-back” projects with Harry’s book. The Duke told ITV’s Tom Bradby, “now we can focus on looking forward, and I’m excited about that.” According to commentators, the couple is likely to focus on creating a new brand apart from their rift with the Royals. Richard Fitzwilliams, a long-time royal commentator, believes Meghan will aim for political causes, but Hagan said the couple is moving towards future endeavors. Their new content will be more about supporting charitable causes and building Archewell, “less about what happened to them before.” The focus of future interviews will be on these new projects, and no longer will there be a need to discuss the Royal Family. She noted that questions will still likely arise about their relationship with the Royal Family, as “what interviewer would’nt ask them?” but believes Harry and Meghan aren’t going to share that information since they recognize “people are reaching saturation point” with the number of attacks they are facing. Hagan said Meghan and Harry need to bury the hatchet, adding that “they can’t keep going over and over and over the past forever. It’s going to be painful.”
