Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be invited to the coronation of King Charles but senior royals believe the pair would “find a reason not to go”, The Independent understands.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to be offered the chance to attend when guest lists are finalised, although it is understood they have already been written out of any formal role in the event at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.
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“The King does not expect them to be at the coronation,” said a source close to the royal family.
“The family will extend the invitation but it would be very hard for Harry and Meghan to be there given everything that has been said in the interviews and the book. The family expects Harry and Meghan to find a reason not to be there.”
Prince Harry has avoided saying if he would accept an invitation but has set conditions for healing the family rift.
“I don’t think that we can ever have peace with my family unless the truth is out there,” he told ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday. “There’s a lot that I can forgive, but there needs to be conversations in order for reconciliation, and part of that has to be accountability.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment and has remained silent despite a flurry of allegations made by the prince in his memoir, Spare, and numerous television interviews.
The Independent earlier revealed that the royal family believes reconciliation with Prince Harry is “impossible” because the King, the Queen Consort and Prince William fear anything they say will be made public.
“They are trapped,” said a source close to the royal family. “They really can't engage because everything they say will be shared with the media. It is impossible to have a conversation or write a letter because of the risk that anything they say being put in the public domain by Harry, potentially for commercial benefit.
“There has been a complete breakdown of trust.”
The source also said His Majesty, Camilla and William believe the situation will remain unchanged while the Duke of Sussex remains effectively “kidnapped by a cult of psychotherapy and Meghan”.
Despite claiming he was attacked by his brother, and describing the Queen Consort as a “villain”, Harry has insisted he would like a relationship with his family.
The King acceded to the throne in September following the death of Elizabeth II but has yet to be formally crowned.
Buckingham Palace has yet to publish full plans for the ceremony and the guest list has yet to be agreed, but organisers say it “will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.
Harry and Meghan were invited to comment.
