Prince Harry to attend coronation without Meghan

 

Prince Harry will come to the King's coronation, but Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will not be attending, says Buckingham Palace.

There had been speculation about whether the couple would travel to the coronation - but it has now emerged that Prince Harry will attend alone.

Prince Harry will join more than 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.

It will be the first time he will have been seen with the Royal Family since the release of his best-selling memoir.

Prince Harry's book, Spare, vividly revealed the extent of family tensions and he has since spoken of feeling "different" from the rest of his family - and it had been unclear whether he would attend his father's coronation.

But there has now been confirmation that Prince Harry will be at the Abbey, on a day which is also the fourth birthday of their son, Archie. 

Prince Harry and Meghan, who live in California in the United States, had been contacted by email more than a month ago about attending the coronation.

But until now it was not known whether they would be there, alongside other members of the Royal Family, public figures, world leaders and 450 representatives of charities and community groups.

The decision for Meghan not to attend will be seen as part of ongoing, unresolved tensions between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family.

Prince Harry's book and an earlier Netflix series had highlighted worries about negative media coverage, particularly towards Meghan - and he had warned of a lack of support from his family.

As he is no longer a "working royal", it remains to be seen what part Prince Harry will play in the coronation ceremony. For the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Prince Harry and Meghan did not take part in the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

It's expected that Prince William, as Prince of Wales, will have a prominent role in the coronation - and after Prince Harry's dramatic account of their falling out there will be attention on the two brothers coming together again.

As well as the coronation service there is a long weekend of public events and concerts, which the Royal Family will be expected to attend.

Prince Harry made an unexpected appearance in London in March, when he attended a court hearing in a case against Associated Newspapers about allegations of privacy breaches, but he was not thought to have met his brother or father during the visit. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65255135