Harry’s family’s reaction to news he’ll be joining them for the coronation has dashed any hope it may serve as a step towards reconciliation. Photo / AP
Harry’s family’s reaction to news he’ll be joining them for the coronation has dashed any hope it may serve as a step towards reconciliation. Photo / AP
Prince Harry was reportedly “preoccupied” by where he’d be sitting inside Westminster Abbey in the lead-up to his delayed RSVP to the upcoming coronation.
According to the Daily Mail, his team had been asking “a lot of questions” about where he - and the rest of his family - would be sitting for the historic event.
“Harry’s side was keen to find out, presumably because they wanted to rubber-stamp it, what the seating plan at the Abbey is. There’s been extensive back and forth about who they [Harry and Meghan] would be sitting behind if they came. And who would be behind them,” a royal insider told the publication.
Another added: “This is true. There has been a lot of questions on detail for the Abbey.”
When Harry and Megan attended Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last year in the UK, they were seated far apart from Charles, Camilla, William and Kate.
The couple made a brief appearance at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Photo / AP
Meanwhile, Harry’s concerns of an awkward and frosty reunion with his family are reportedly set to play out exactly as he’d feared.
The royals’ reaction to his decision to attend his father’s coronation has been revealed, and it paints a picture of a very uncomfortable scenario.
Royal sources have told the Daily Mail that Harry will be receiving the cold shoulder from most of his family members when he turns up at Westminster Abbey, as they have “no interest” in talking to him beyond “the most basic of greetings”.
The publication also reports that while William would “never have stopped” Harry from attending their father’s big day, he has “no plans to speak to him”.
It’s understood Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, with whom Harry and Meghan have maintained a relationship, may be the only exception to the royals’ cold reception.
A royal source shared a similar sentiment to the UK’s Daily Express, revealing the family has “no appetite” for peace talks with Harry at this stage.
“The royal family are focused on planning for the historic occasion and have no appetite or time at this stage to think about reconciliation,” the insider explained.
It appears the brothers’ rift is showing no signs of healing. Photo / AP
It’s set to echo the “cold” reception he and Meghan say they felt from his family during their last official event before leaving royal life in the UK.
During their Netflix docuseries last year, the couple spoke of how tense it felt at the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020 – which marked the first time they’d seen the rest of his family in months.
“We were nervous seeing the family because all the TV cameras and everybody watching at home and everybody watching in the audience,” said Meghan in the Netflix series.
“It’s like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment.”
Harry added: “I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like. And it looked cold, but it also felt cold.”
The icy scene at the Commonwealth Day service in 2020. Photo / AP
Meanwhile, the latest coronation development follows the announcement that Harry will travel home to London to join his family for the Westminster Abbey ceremony, while Meghan will stay in California with their two children, Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 1.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service,” a palace spokesman said on Wednesday afternoon, UK time.
“The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Archie’s birthday falls on the same day as the coronation, which was cited as a factor in her decision to stay home by Finding Freedom author and friend of Meghan, Omid Scobie.
“I understand that Archie’s fourth birthday [also on May 6] played a factor in the couple’s decision,” he tweeted, following news of the couple’s decision.
“Expect it to be a fairly quick trip to the UK for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.”
Tensions were running high when Harry and Meghan were reunited with William and Kate after the Queen died last year. Photo / AP
The announcement overnight followed months of speculation about their RSVP after it was confirmed on March 4 that they’d received an invitation.
Their invitation came just a couple of months after the release of their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, both of which depicted the royals in an extremely unflattering light, exposing their issues with the monarchy and specific members of his family.
According to Page Six, Meghan ultimately decided it would be “inauthentic” for her to attend her father-in-law’s coronation, but that she “fully supports” her husband going.
“They had to make a decision that felt genuine and authentic, especially after everything that has been said and all the things that have gone down,” an insider told the publication.
“The words that Harry and Meghan have said about the importance of their family are lining up with their actions.
“They care about their family, so Meghan is going to stay [in California] and Harry is going to support his dad.”
