Royal sources have revealed that the Duchess of Sussex was "never likely" to come to the King's Coronation after being put in an "impossible position". Prince Harry announced that he would attend his father's crowning at long last, while wife Meghan will remain in the US with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Harry went through weeks of back-and-forth with Buckingham Palace aides after indicating he intended to travel to the UK according to sources close to the coronation planners. It is understood the Duke is believed to have voiced concerns over both his security and the reception from his family if he attended.
The Mirror reports that insiders believed the signs of Meghan not attending the ceremony began when she was absent from Harry's book tour, and was thought to be unhappy with her children's exclusion from the Coronation procession. After saying she was deserted by the royals while she was pregnant and accusing an anonymous royal of racism, Meghan will remain in their £11 million property in Montecito, California, with their children.
Archie's birthday "played a factor in the decision" according to the couple's biographer Omid Scobie, who also anticipated that it would be a "fairly quick trip to the UK" for Harry. A royal source said: “The truth of the matter is the Duchess was never likely to attend the coronation.
“The mood from California was that she felt increasingly put in an impossible position and there’s a fair sense of relief that the situation is resolved after so much speculation and uncertainty. It is one thing to attend the late Queen’s funeral out of respect for Her Majesty but another thing entirely to attend the start of a new reign.”
Another source said palace staffers were “cheered that the circus wasn’t coming to town”, while another had sympathy for Meghan saying: “She is very much damned is she does and damned if she doesn’t. As a mother she’s probably doing the right thing by her young children which should be applauded.”
Harry's stay in the UK will be brief, with the duke heading quickly back to California to join the celebrations for Archie's birthday. The duke will only be attending the ceremony and not taking part in other Coronation festivities during the three-day bank holiday weekend.
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It will be the first time Harry, 38, will see his family since the late Queen’s funeral last September and the first time he will come face to face with his father and brother, Prince William, since speaking of tough exchanges with them in his explosive memoir, Spare, in January. The pair have also criticised the Royal Family in multiple explosive interviews and a six-part Netflix series over the past six months.
Royal sources also speculated as to what kind of reception the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would receive at the event likely to be attended by hundreds of thousands, after they were jeered alongside a smattering of cheers at St Paul’s cathedral last year for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee service of Thanksgiving. Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry’s attendance on Wednesday.
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