Prince Harry arrived alone at his father King Charles’ coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey today.
The Duke of Sussex walked into the Abbey behind the disgraced Prince Andrew, following his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Harry looked solemn as he took his seat among the onlookers at the historic event. His arrival was highly anticipated after a drastic change to the seating plan the day before the coronation.
It was revealed that he would not be seated with his father Charles and his brother William, the Prince of Wales, during the ceremony, but would instead be relegated to the third row.
Today he took his seat between his cousin Eugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank, and the late Queen Elizabeth’s cousin Princess Alexandra, who has not appeared in any royal engagements for 10 years.
He arrived after the disgraced Prince Andrew, who turned up hours ahead of the rest of his family and was booed as he was driven down The Mall to the ceremony.
Because Andrew, who is eighth in line to the throne but not a working royal, he has no duties during the ceremony except to sit and watch.
Only senior working royals are seated in the front row, including Prince William and Princess Kate, Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and Anne, the Princess Royal, and her husband Sir Tim Laurence.
Prince Harry has not been a working royal since he and his wife Meghan Markle moved to the US and left their roles in 2018.
A source told the Sun: “There were discussions that the seating could be arranged on line of succession.
“But that would have put fifth-in-line Harry front and centre – and with William and Kate. Instead the decision was working royals only at the front and work back from there. Harry will be a long way from his father.”
Harry wore a dark suit, a purple patterned tie, and his military medals as he appeared without his Meghan, who declined the invite to attend the ceremony.
Instead, she has remained at home in California with the couple’s children, 1-year-old Lilibet, and Archie, who turns 4 today.
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