Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially received their invitations to The Coronation of King Charles III despite rumors that they might not be invited at all. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not yet revealed whether they will attend the ceremony. With two months to go, the royal family may need to work out some issues to minimize drama before the big day.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told reporters from The Sunday Times that they received their invitation. They said: “I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time.” Spokespeople for Buckingham Palace did not give a comment for that story. However, the royal spokespeople have not commented much on the reports and rumors of a rift over this coronation invitation in general.
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Last month a source close to Prince Harry and Markle told PEOPLE that the Sussexes had not yet received an invitation to the coronation, raising alarm that they might not be invited at all. At the time, a source close to the king assured reporters that an invitation was coming. Meanwhile, a report by The Daily Mail claimed that King Charles wanted to invite Prince Harry, but Prince William was arguing against it, saying that the Sussexes would cause more drama by attending than they could cause by being snubbed.
Ultimately it was about more than the day of the coronation itself for the king. An insider said: “It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it. He would like to have Harry back in the family. If they don’t sort it out, it will always be part of the King’s reign and how he has left his family disjointed. He has had a reputation as a distant parent, and it would be awful for him for that to continue.”
Of course, the king’s reputation is less of a concern to Prince Harry who wrote a tell-all memoir about his childhood and leveled accusations of racism and press manipulation against his family. Back in January, Prince Harry seemed to imply that he would not attend the coronation unless he received an apology from his father and his brother first. He told ITV: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
Speaking to that quote specifically, a source told The Times last week that they believe King Charles is willing to have a reconciliatory discussion with his younger son, but they don’t believe “it will be wrapped in an apologetic bow.” They said the king was open to having “a conversation” with Prince Harry, but added: “It would not be a one-way street.” Whatever the two sides plan on doing, they will need to act fast. The Coronation of King Charles III is scheduled for Saturday, May 6 2023.
