The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be invited to King Charles’ coronation despite the couple’s public criticism of the royal family in their new Netflix series, reports suggest.
The six-part series Harry & Meghan sees Prince Harry describe a “terrifying” meeting about his and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back as senior royals. He claimed his brother, the Prince of Wales, screamed at him and his father said “things that just simply weren’t true”, as the late Queen “quietly [sat] there”.
The palace has remained silent in the face of the claims and the King and Prince William have both carried on with public appearances as scheduled, with insiders telling reporters of an intention to maintain “dignity”.
With the new King’s coronation just over five months away, and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare due to appear on shelves in January, multiple reports on Friday suggested that the Sussexes will still be invited to attend if they wish.
While official invitations for the event have yet to be sent out, the Daily Mail reported that the King has extended an olive branch to the couple and told them they will be welcome.
“Harry is his son and His Majesty will always love him. While things are difficult at the moment, the door will always be left ajar,” one source told the paper, while another said it was “unlikely” the invitation would be rescinded in the face of more allegations in the prince’s memoir.
The report was echoed in the Daily Telegraph, which did not go so far as to suggest that the King had personally told his son and daughter-in-law that they could attend, but quoted a source as saying: “All members of the family will be welcome.”
The Sussexes played a central role during the state funeral for his grandmother in September, and sought to display a united front in greeting mourners in Windsor alongside Prince William and Princess Kate. The pair also flew back from California for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in February.
Prince William is closely involved in the planning of the coronation, according to the Telegraph, which reports that the 6 May event falls on the day of the Sussexes’ son Archie Mountbattern-Windsor’s fourth birthday. Neither of their children joined their parents in the UK during the jubilee.
Buckingham Palace has been approached for comment but did not immediately respond.
