The Royal Family still has a lot of feelings when it comes to Prince Harry attending King Charles III‘s coronation. Last week, the palace confirmed that the Duke of Sussex would be attending the historic event, although his wife, Meghan Markle, will be at home in California celebrating their son, Archie’s birthday.
However, according to a source, members of the royal family still have thoughts.
“Relationships between Harry and Meghan and the family are still very tense,” a source tells ET.
“The family will be cordial because the King wants his son at his Coronation but there will be no meaningful conversation as there’s still a lack of trust given the revelations in his book and the Sussexes Netflix documentary and the allegations in the Oprah interview.”
Another source shared that the family is still surprised that the Duke is attending without his wife.
Adding, “There were still several members of the family who expressed surprise she had decided to stay home.”
Buckingham Palace confirmed to ET that Prince Harry will be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. But Meghan is reportedly not joining him and instead is staying at the Couple’s Montecito, California, home with their two children, son Archie, who is turning four on the day of the coronation, and daughter Lilibet, 1.
Following the news, royal expert Eloise Parker, said Prince William and Kate Middleton feel a sense of “relief” that Meghan will be home.
“I think there’s bound to be some relief from William and Kate that Meghan won’t be attending the coronation simply because less emphasis is going to be on them, who’s looking where, who’s lip reading, what’s going on between them,” Parker told ET.
“There’s such a fever of interest in these relationships and the truth is we’re never going to see a ‘Real Housewives’ moment between these women. Everything is going to be kept firmly under wraps and I think for Kate, the fact that Meghan isn’t attending, helps her keep it that way.”
There’s been palpable tension since Harry and Meghan officially exited their roles as senior members of the royal family in 2020. The tension culminated upon the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan”, in December, and the Duke of Sussex’s bestselling memoir, Spare, which was released in January. Both projects were critical of the royal family and shared intimate details from the couple’s perspective.
In March, ET reported that the monarch was willing to set the tension aside, and wanted his secondborn to be a part of his big day.
“Despite any issues in the past or difficulties that have arisen based on what was released in Harry’s book, Charles loves his son. He wants both his children at his side for such a momentous occasion,” the source said.
“The family wants the King to be happy and having his son travel from America for such a pivotal moment in his life will make Charles happy.”
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