Prince Harry to attend King Charles' coronation without Meghan Markle, palace confirms

Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father King Charles III without Meghan Markle.

On April 12, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duke of Sussex will be at the ceremony being held at London’s Westminster Abbey on May 6, Fox News reports.

"Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th," the palace shared. "The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

While there are three days of events surrounding the coronation, the 38-year-old is not expected to attend any other outings aside from the crowning ceremony. A friend of the prince told People magazine that Harry wanted to be at the service to support his father during an important moment in his life.

Charles, 74, will be crowned alongside his wife, Queen Camilla.

The Duchess of Sussex will be staying behind in California with the couple’s two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. According to the outlet, the 41-year-old will spend the weekend celebrating Archie’s fourth birthday, which falls on the same day as the coronation.

The couple were most recently with the rest of the British royal family in the UK for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch passed away in September of last year at age 96.

Harry made a surprise visit to his home country last month to attend London’s High Court for a legal case. He, along with other prominent figures like Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and Jude Law’s ex-wife Sadie Frost are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd., publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, for illegal information gathering.

On March 5, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Harry received email correspondence from the king’s office about the coronation.

"I can confirm the Duke has recently received email correspondence from his majesty’s office regarding the coronation," said the spokesperson. "An immediate decision on whether the duke and duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."

A source close to the royal household told the outlet that Charles was eager to have his son present for the event.

"It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it," said the palace insider. "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."

Harry’s attendance comes despite the rift within the House of Windsor prompted by Harry’s decision to reveal family secrets in his bestselling book, "Spare."

The revelations, including details of private conversations with his father — and his brother, Prince William — fanned tensions between Harry and his family that became public when he and his wife moved to North America in 2020.

The book also included allegations that members of the royal family regularly feed the press unflattering information about other members of the House of Windsor in exchange for positive coverage of themselves.

The acrimony between Harry and his family once again spilled into public view in March when the Sussexes acknowledged they were asked to vacate their home in Britain.

Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London, was the couple’s main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Montecito, a wealthy enclave in Southern California.

The Sun newspaper reported that Charles asked them to relinquish the dwelling on Jan. 11, the day after Harry’s memoir was published. But issues other than the book may have sparked the request.

Charles has said he plans to cut the number of working royals and reduce the cost of the monarchy as he seeks to modernize the 1,000-year-old institution in hopes of ensuring its survival.

Archie and Lilibet were last in the UK during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. The trip was significant for the little princess, who was born in California in June 2021. She was named after the queen whose childhood nickname was Lilibet. Archie was born in the UK.

At the time, a royal source told People magazine it was a "fantastic visit," especially for Charles and the queen, who met Lilibet for the first time during the Platinum Jubilee.

"The prince was delighted to see his grandson and meet his granddaughter for the first time," the source said, adding that it was "very emotional" and a "wonderful thing" for Charles to meet Lilibet.