Why Meghan Markle Is Not Attending King Charles’ Coronation

Meghan Markle will not be attending King Charles’ coronation, and now we know why. While her husband, Prince Harry, will be in attendance for the coronation of his father and stepmother — King Charles and Queen Camilla — in London on May 6, PEOPLE reports that Markle will remain behind in California to celebrate their son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday. Notably, the couple’s youngest, Princess Lilibet, will also not be at the coronation.

King Charles’ coronation comes eight months after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning royal monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. She died on Sept. 8, just under 18 months after the death of Prince Philip, her husband of more than 73 years. The Queen died at Balmoral, her beloved palace in the Scottish Highlands, which was purchased by her great-great-grandfather Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852. She was surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

In his first public speech, following the death of Queen Elizabeth, King Charles III expressed “profound sorrow” over his mother’s passing. “We owe her the most heartfelt debt any family could owe to her mother for her love affection, guidance, understanding and example,” the incoming King of England said in a pre-recorded message, per the NY Times. The King also shared that he and his family are “feeling profound sorrow” over the loss of their matriarch. Speaking to his late mother in the closing of his speech, Charles said, “Thank you for your love and devotion… may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Charles has had a strained relationship with Harry and Markle ever since the couple resigned from Royal duties and did an interview with Oprah that revealed some shocking claims. During a post-interview appearance on CBS Mornings, the iconic TV host shared some new footage of her conversation with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including a portion where Harry discusses the monarchy being a “toxic environment. He goes on to say that while he has had to learn to separate himself from it, his father Prince Charles has made “peace” with the toxicity.

In a clip from the interview, Harry specifically refers to the unspoken relationship that he says the Royals have with U.K. tabloids. He spoke of this during the main interview, but in the new footage, he addresses the tabloids having the Royal family members under “control” through “fear.” This, he says, is the “toxic environment” he had to escape. Oprah then asked if Harry and Markle’s perception of the situation is shared by the rest of his family, specifically, his father. “I think he’s had to make peace with it,” Harry replied.