Meghan Markle will not be attending the Coronation of King Charles III today, and will instead be spending the day with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The historic event today will see Prince William, Kate Middleton, and young Prince George carrying out roles as Charles and Camilla are officially crowned.
And Buckingham Palace last month confirmed that Prince Harry would make the trip back to Britain alone to see his father be crowned, writes the Mirror.
Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, will be staying home in the US with their children when the historic celebrations take place.
The statement at the time read: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
"The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
There are a number of reasons that the Duchess has decided to stay home, but the most significant will likely be her son's birthday.
Archie's birthday
Perhaps the most significant reason that is thought to have influenced Meghan's decision to remain in the US is the clash with Prince Archie's 4th birthday.
The couple's eldest son was born at the Portland Hospital in London on May 6, 2019 and will be celebrating his big day at the same time that his grandfather is crowned.
While his father will be in the UK for at least part of the day, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond explained to OK! that it is not impossible for Harry to be back in time for Archie's birthday.
She said: "I expect there will be some kind of celebrations either side of the Coronation but it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that Harry will get back in time for an early evening supper celebration."
Criticism received by the couple
While the reason for the Duchess not making the journey back to the UK has officially not been disclosed, a close friend of Meghan's shared a reason with People , albeit anonymously.
"Meghan wants to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the scrutiny she receives outweighs the support," the friend said.
"There's always going to be that other side challenging their reasoning, and who wants to put themselves in that position?
"At this point, it's become so personal. Maybe what they wanted wasn't achieved, but at the end of the day, he's going there to support his dad."
Tensions between her and the royals
Whether they were made in their self-titled Netflix series, Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' or in interviews with various publications, there has been no shortage of damaging remarks launched by the couple.
Among many other sticking points, it was claimed that Meghan upset Kate after she had given birth to Prince Louis in 2018 by saying she must have 'baby brain' because of her hormones.
The statements that have been released
Meghan Markle denied reports in a rare personal statement last month that she was not attending the King's coronation because of a letter she sent expressing concern over unconscious bias in the royal family.
According to the Telegraph, the letter was sent to the King, who was still the Prince of Wales at the time, following Harry and Meghan's appearance with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
A spokesperson for Meghan said: "The Duchess of Sussex is going about her life in the present, not thinking about correspondence from two years ago related to conversations from four years ago.
"Any suggestion otherwise is false and frankly ridiculous."
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