Prince Harry will attend his father King Charles III’s coronation next month without his wife Meghan Markle. Following months of speculation regarding whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make the trip to the U.K. for the May 6 ceremony, Buckingham Palace confirmed Wednesday that Harry will make the trip alone, with Markle set to remain in California with their two children, son Archie, whose fourth birthday falls on the coronation day, and daughter Lilibet.
In a statement, the palace confirmed, “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 “wanted to be at the service to support his father at this important moment in his life.” Royal reporter Omid Scobie, meanwhile, shared on Twitter that it seems Archie’s birthday was a major contributing factor in the decision for Harry to attend the service alone. Scobie added, “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.”
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Harry’s trip across the pond, which follows his surprise visit to the U.K. last month to attend London’s High Court for a legal case, will mark the first time he has reunited with his family since he and Markle attended the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September. In the months since Her Majesty’s Sept. 8 death, speculation has grown surrounding Markle and Harry’s possible attendance at Charles’ coronation. Harry previously indicated during an interview with ITV in January that he wished to attend. However, as recently as this month, their attendance status remained unclear, with a spokesperson for the Sussexes telling the BBC on April 5 that “there was “no update on whether they were attending.”
While Harry will be without his wife for the historical day, he will be joined by more than 2,000 other guests at Westminster Abbey for the May 6 ceremony. On Tuesday, several royal houses from around the world confirmed their attendance. Confirmed to be attending are: King Carl XVI Gustaf from Sweden along with his eldest daughter and heir, Crown Princess Victoria; Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary from Denmark; and Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko representing Japan, per PEOPLE. The palace also confirmed last week that the King, 74, invited over 850 community and charity representatives to his coronation. It’s expected that Prince William, as Prince of Wales, will have a prominent role in the coronation. His son, Prince George, 9, meanwhile, will serve as a Page of Honor to his grandfather.
