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Decision at last: Meghan and Harry reveal their coronation plans

Author
news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 13 Apr 2023, 7:05am

Decision at last: Meghan and Harry reveal their coronation plans

Author
news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 13 Apr 2023, 7:05am

Prince Harry has decided to attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, but his wife Meghan Markle will remain in the United States with their children.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex鈥檚 long-awaited decision on whether or not to travel across the Atlantic for the historic event, to be held at Westminster Abbey on May 6, was revealed by Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon, UK time.

鈥淏uckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service,鈥� a palace spokesperson said.

鈥淭he Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.鈥�

The coronation falls on Archie鈥檚 fourth birthday.

Harry and Meghan鈥檚 delay in making a decision had reportedly been causing problems for organisers, with seating plans yet to be finalised. The cut-off date for RSVPs was April 3.

King Charles and his partner, the soon-to-be Queen Camilla, will arrive at Westminster Abbey via a procession in a horse-drawn carriage, with a group of about 15 working royals expected to trail behind them.

As Harry is no longer a working member of the family, that means he will not be part of the group. Neither will Prince Andrew.

This procession will follow a route about a quarter of the length travelled by Charles鈥� mother, Queen Elizabeth II, before her coronation in 1953.

Harry will also be absent from the Buckingham Palace balcony when his father, Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate and their children appear, having returned to the palace after the coronation service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Meghan has decided to remain with their children in the US. Photo / Getty Images

Meghan has decided to remain with their children in the US. Photo / Getty Images

An awkward reunion

While the announcement should silence the 鈥渨ill he or won鈥檛 he鈥� debate in the British media, it won鈥檛 end the royal soap opera swirling around Harry and Meghan as King Charles III prepares for his coronation.

When the prince attended the funerals of his grandfather, Prince Philip, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, commentators discussed everything from whether Harry would be allowed to wear his military uniform to exactly where he was seated. And there is always the question of whether he will meet face-to-face with his father and older brother, Prince William.

That intrigue will only be heightened after Harry and Meghan stoked their critique of the royal family in a six-part Netflix series about their decision to step back from royal duties three years ago, which was followed by Harry鈥檚 decision to reveal family secrets in his bestselling memoir 鈥淪pare.鈥�

Harry was last in London in March, attending a court hearing in his privacy case against Associated 九一星空无限papers Ltd. During his testimony in that case, he accused his family of 鈥渨ithholding information鈥� from him for 鈥渁 long time鈥� in an effort to prevent him from 鈥渙pening a can of worms.鈥�

鈥淔ollowing the death of my mother in 1997 when I was 12 years old and her treatment at the hands of the press, I have always had an uneasy relationship with the press,鈥� Harry said.

鈥淗owever, as a member of the Institution, the policy was to 鈥榥ever complain, never explain.鈥�

鈥淭here was no alternative; I was conditioned to accept it. For the most part, I accepted the interest in my performing my public functions.鈥�

However, he said it became increasingly difficult after he started dating Meghan Markle, and he was 鈥渋ncreasingly troubled by the approach of not taking action against the press in the wake of vicious persistent attacks on, harassment of and intrusive, sometimes racist articles concerning Meghan.

鈥淭he situation got worse鈥�, he claimed, after Meghan fell pregnant and around the birth of their first child, Prince Archie, in May 2019.

In his statement to the court, Harry also said that he only became aware in 2018 that he had a potential claim against 九一星空无限 Group 九一星空无限papers over alleged phone hacking.

鈥淭he Institution was without a doubt withholding information from me for a long time about NGN鈥檚 phone hacking and that has only become clear in recent years as I have pursued my own claim with different legal advice and representation,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t is not an exaggeration to say that the bubble burst in terms of what I knew in 2020 when I moved out of the United Kingdom.鈥�

Harry is not believed to have met with Charles or William during that trip in March.

鈥楥omplete chaos鈥� behind the scenes

Meanwhile, concerning new details about the latest plans for the coronation have painted聽聽behind the scenes.

According to British newspaper聽The Mirror, with just over three weeks to go, organisers are now in a 鈥渞ace against time鈥�, with major issues cropping up and wreaking havoc on the structure of the event.

While the ceremony has been stripped back from a more than three-hour event to one which is supposed to run for a significantly shorter 90 minutes, the one rehearshal to have taken place so far 鈥渙verran significantly鈥�. There are fears that viewers will switch off.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all very frantic, complete chaos to be frank,鈥� an insider told the publication.

鈥淭here is a plan, which is supposed to be the blueprint of how the day should operate, but things are changing daily which is causing massive headaches.鈥�

However, another royal source eased concerns somewhat, telling聽The Mirror聽that while it will 鈥済o down to the wire鈥�, there is 鈥渉uge confidence鈥� everything will go to plan on the day.

They added: 鈥淭his is naturally a huge event and the important point is everyone is pulling in the right direction.

鈥淭he King and Queen Consort want it to be perfect, as does everyone involved, which is why everything is being done to make it so.鈥�

The prince has accused Camilla of leaking private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after marrying Charles. Photo / AP

The prince has accused Camilla of leaking private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after marrying Charles. Photo / AP

Family rifts

Harry and Meghan, who is biracial, have alleged she faced racist attitudes from both the palace and the UK press. The treatment contributed to their decision to leave the country.

The revelations in 鈥淪pare,鈥� including details of private conversations with his father and 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 prince singled out Camilla, the queen consort, accusing her of leaking private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after marrying Charles. Camilla was once reviled for her long-term affair with Charles, which contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to the late Prince Diana, Harry and William鈥檚 mother.

The acrimony between Harry and his family once again spilled into public view last month when the Sussexes said that they had been asked to vacate their home in Britain.

Frogmore Cottage, a royal residence on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London, was the couple鈥檚 main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Montecito, a wealthy enclave in Southern California.聽- Samuel Clench, Bronte Coy, news.com.au

- additional reporting from Associated Press.

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