King Charles III’s coronation is just around the corner, with the country set to unite in celebration on May 6 as the new monarch is officially crowned.
The impending service – the first ceremony of its kind since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953 – is set to ‘reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,’ according to Buckingham Palace.
And the celebrations will continue across the weekend, with an extra bank holiday on May 8, and a special Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, which will air on the BBC on Sunday, May 7.
The coronation be attended by other royals and dignitaries from all over the world as well as a whole host of famous faces.
But the one question everybody still has is whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might attend – especially now the deadline for RSVPs has passed.
So, can we expect to see the couple at the coronation?
Will Prince Harry attend King Charles III’s coronation?
Prince Harry will be in attendance at the coronation, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
A statement from the palace said: ‘Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May.’
However, it continued that Duchess of Sussex Meghan will not be in attendance, and will instead remain at their home in California to care for their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
It has also been confirmed that Harry will not stay for the coronation concert on Sunday May 7.
Instead he will fly home to celebrate his son Archie’s fourth birthday – which is on the same day as the coronation.
A royal source told The Mirror: ‘After much back and forth, Harry said that he would be returning for the King’s coronation but it will only be a fleeting visit.
‘Organisers have been told Harry won’t be attending the concert with the rest of the royal family, which is a great shame as it will be such a spectacular event.’
The visit could be the first time the Duke of Sussex has seen his family since making explosive claims in his memoir Spare.
It follows months of speculation over whether the Royal couple would attend after they had remained quiet on whether they would be coming.
A royal source said earlier this year the pair were ‘on the brink’ of announcing their plans in regards to attending the event – despite the deadline for RSVPs passing on Monday.
Sources said the Duke of Sussex had ‘a lot of questions about how the event will work’, but was ready to finalise his plans for the ceremony.
Previous reports suggested that the couple were being ‘factored into the planning’ of the ceremony, with a source telling the Daily Mail: ‘No one knows for certain whether this means they have definitely accepted – it could, of course, be just in case they do – but it’s clearly not a “no”.
Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the King and the Prince of Wales has remained troubled after the publication of the Prince’s autobiography Spare in January of this year.
Revelations that upset the Royal Family from the memoir include criticisms of Charles’ parenting style, accusing William of attacking him and branding Camilla the ‘dangerous’ woman.
Although the Royal Family has not commented on any of the claims, the King is said to have been ‘hit hard’ by the allegations.
The couple have since been evicted from their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, with reports suggesting they were asked to leave on January 11, the day after the memoir was published.
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