Prince Harry and wife Meghan are on the guest list for the coronation in May, a Whitehall source has revealed. But detailed plans are being drawn up to ensure the reunion does not overshadow the proceedings in any way.
The Daily Express reports that the King is keen to mend his relationship with his younger son. However, plans for the May 6 coronation include a seating plan, drawn up by the late Queen, to ensure there are no scene-stealing photographs of Harry with his brother, the Prince of Wales.
"They’re on the list and planning is well under way to make sure the proceedings run as smooth as possible - without any drama," the source told the newspaper. Meanwhile, royal observers believe Harry and Meghan will want to attend as they are eager for a reconciliation and to put the tumult caused by Harry's memoirs behind them.
Officials especially want to reduce the chance of Harry and William being seen in public together, and are organising seating arrangements in Westminster Abbey to avoid the brothers being pictured together.
Invitations to the Westminster Abbey service will be sent out in the next few weeks after the final guest list is confirmed, the insider said. But they confirmed Harry and Meghan are currently on the 2,000-strong list, alongside royals - both domestic and foreign - dignitaries and world leaders.
The couple will not have long to decide on their response, as RSVPs are understood to be wanted by the start of April. But royal commentator Afua Hagan is adamant Harry will make the effort to appear. She said: “Attending the Coronation is the first step on the road to reconciliation.”
Harry and Meghan’s attendance at the Coronation will be meticulously crafted, insiders say, with organisers using the plans for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as a blueprint to ensure no awkward encounters - such as a public reunion with William and Kate - is avoided.
Their arrival at the Abbey is set to mirror that of the service at St Paul’s Cathedral last June, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive in a private car alone, and sit on the opposite side of the aisle to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
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This seating plan at the event is said to have been crafted by the late Queen to ensure working members of the Royal Family were given precedence. At the jubilee, it led to Harry and Meghan being seated in the second row next to those lower down in the line of succession, such as Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
The couple's position on the aisle will also be well thought out to ensure the brothers are not captured in any shots together to avoid speculation over their relationship overshadowing the event. “The focus will be on the vertical line of succession,” said royal historian Cindy McCreery. “Precedence will be given to William, Kate, George and his siblings.
Since giving up their roles as working royals in early 2020, Harry and Meghan have repeatedly made explosive claims about the family and the Palace establishment. But Harry’s book is said to be the last of the Sussexes’ “look-back projects”, with the Duke telling ITV’s Tom Bradby that “now we can focus on looking forward, and I’m excited about that”.
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