The Duke of Sussex will attend the King’s Coronation but the Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The Palace said in a statement: “Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May.
“The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Archewell, Harry and Meghan’s charitable foundation, issued a near identical statement to Buckingham Palace confirming the duke will join guests at the coronation.
A spokesperson said: “The Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
The couple’s possible attendance at the event has been the source of much speculation in the last few months since the fall-out from Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare.
The King’s second son criticised Charles’s parenting, accused his brother William of physically attacking him and branded Camilla “dangerous”.
Speaking in January while promoting the book, ITV journalist Tom Bradby asked Harry if he would attend the ceremony if he was invited and he replied: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then.
“But, the door is always open. The ball is in their court.
“There’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they’re willing to sit down and talk about it.”
In the three years since the pair stepped down as working royals, the couple have been critical of the royal family and the monarchy, telling their story in their Netflix documentary and in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey.
They were also asked to vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, in a move sanctioned by the King.
May 6 is also Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.
Among the details already revealed about the event is that the King’s coronation procession stretches to just 1.3 miles – around a quarter of the length of the late Queen’s five-mile celebratory journey.
A newly crowned Charles and Queen Consort will make their way back from Westminster Abbey via the tried and tested route of Parliament Square, along Whitehall, around Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and down The Mall back to Buckingham Palace.
It will be the reverse of their route to the Abbey but much shorter than Elizabeth II’s five-mile return expedition around central London which saw the 27-year-old monarch waving to crowds along Piccadilly, Oxford Street and Regent Street.
The grand procession in 1953 took two hours and featured tens of thousands of participants, with the two-and-a-half mile cavalcade taking 45 minutes to pass any given point.
Kirsty Young and Huw Edwards have been named among the BBC’s presenting team for the celebrations but the corporation did not name veteran presenter David Dimbleby, who last year came out of retirement to cover the Queen’s funeral procession, as among those contributing to its live coverage.
