Prince Harry reportedly had a “conversation” with King Charles the night before the coronation but one particular “hope” was dashed.
- The Duke of Sussex is said to have spoken with His Majesty the evening before the coronation, sparking a “hope” he could’ve stayed for longer.
- Ultimately, Prince Harry returned to the US for Archie’s birthday and King Charles apparently made a poignant private toast.
- This royal news comes as it was revealed King Charles’ eyes “lit up” at sight of this fellow royal amid “stressful” coronation rehearsal.
After months of speculation over whether he’d be attending King Charles’ coronation, Prince Harry returned to the UK solo whilst Meghan Markle remained at their Santa Barbara home with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Fans only got a brief glimpse of the Duke of Sussex at Westminster Abbey during his brief visit and as he isn't a working royal, he didn’t appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the service. However, for those wondering if King Charles and Prince Harry spoke before the coronation ceremony, apparently they did.
Getting candid to Us Weekly, royal expert Nick Bullen, Editor-in-Chief of True Royalty TV, claimed that Prince Harry had a “conversation” with the King the night before and this sparked “hope”.
“My understanding is he didn’t have any interactions with the Prince or Princess of Wales but that he did have a conversation with his father the night before,” Nick alleged. “Until the morning, nobody really knew what Harry’s plans were going to be for that afternoon. I think everybody knew he had a plane to catch. Everybody knew he was intending to get home, but there was a hope, I think, that he might be part of some of the family celebrations back at the palace.”
Despite this “hope”, Prince Harry reportedly instead chose to take a flight soon after the service to get back and celebrate Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.
Nick added, “I think that there was a sadness that he wasn’t part of the fuller day, but, you know, they all knew he was gonna get [on] that plane. I hear that the king made a toast to Archie ’cause it was his birthday, but even the way the King said that, [adding] ‘wherever he is,’ it was sad. And I think that’s the sad part is that these two grandchildren aren’t part of the story.
Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “stepped back” they’ve only returned to the UK once as a family with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Very sadly, this means that King Charles hasn’t got to spend a huge amount of time with them, though the claim that Prince Harry had a “conversation” with him before the coronation could be very significant.
Prince Harry himself told ITV News’ Tom Bradby earlier this year that he would “like to get [his[ father back” and that in his opinion “there’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that [his family] are willing to sit down and talk about it."
Whether or not they discussed everything in their supposed pre-coronation conversation, the suggestion that Prince Harry and King Charles talked is potentially a huge turning point.
Following the release of the Duke’s memoir, Spare, rumors of a “rift” have intensified, making it all-the-more important that Prince Harry attended his father’s big day and allegedly had a talk beforehand. Fans will no doubt be hoping that more conversations could be had and that the entire Sussex family could return to the UK in the not-too-distant future.