Harry had ‘heart to heart’ with King Charles before agreeing to attend Coronation, insiders claim
Prince Harry had a “heart to heart” with his father King Charles over his invitation to the coronation ceremony before agreeing to attend after weeks of talks over the safety of the event, it is alleged.
Sources previously said weeks-long negotiations, likened to “transatlantic ping pong,” between Harry and Buckingham Palace over what role he could play, where he could sit and security arrangements were underway.
But royal insiders came out on Sunday, claiming Prince Harry was willing to attend after a face-to-face meeting with the king – and that he wants to “show support for his father”.
It was confirmed this week that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation alone, while his wife Meghan will remain in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
At the coronation, which is only three weeks away, both King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be crowned in front of 2,000 people at Westminster Abbey.
Royal sources claimed overnight that Prince Harry had a ‘heart to heart’ talk with his father and would like to ‘support’ him on the ceremonial occasion
Both King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be crowned in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6
Sources told Sun on Sunday King Charles is “happy” with his son’s decision and “understands” that Meghan is staying home with the kids because it’s Archie’s fourth birthday on the same day as the ceremony.
They added that there is a “willingness and will to mend” on both sides of the Atlantic – though it’s unknown if that includes the bad feeling between Harry and Prince William.
The Duke still hasn’t spoken to the Prince of Wales since the publication of his eloquent memoir Spare, in which he called his older brother his “nemesis” and accused him of physically assaulting him.
On a visit to Sandhurst on Friday, the king expressed his ‘proud’ of his two sons – despite the fact that they are not currently in talks.
He told cadets, “Speaking as a father of two alumni of this academy who remembers their passing out parades, I know they will be immensely proud to see you on parade.”
The king would like to use the coronation as an opportunity to heal rifts and bring relatives out of the cold, especially in relation to his youngest son.
The atmosphere at the palace is “generally quite forgiving” as preparations for the big event continue.
Although he was “happy” with Harry’s decision to attend, the king remained “disappointed” that he will not be able to see his daughter-in-law Meghan and grandchildren.
Having stepped down as a working royal, Prince Harry will have no part in the coronation. He is also not expected to take part in the procession back to Buckingham Palace or take part in any other events over the weekend.
King Charles, pictured with Prince William (center) and Prince Harry (right) in 2006, would ‘understand’ Meghan’s decision to stay in the US because it’s Archie’s fourth birthday on the same day as the ceremony
Harry would also like to highlight the ‘importance and significance’ of his father’s coronation for the country (Photo: Charles and Camilla in 2015)
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry accused his brother William of physically assaulting him and being his ‘nemesis’
Harry would also like to stress the “importance and significance” of his father’s coronation to the country, following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II last September.
Sources also denied reports that Prince Harry had been setting up chairs for the coronation, instead saying the only talks between the palace and the Sussexes were about security plans.
Publications with links to the Sussexes have suggested that Harry had a list of questions for the palace about what would happen if he attended and wanted certain ‘certainties’, but did not specify what those might be.
He will be staying at Frogmore Cottage for the last time for his flying visit to the UK and will be just two fields from Adelaide Cottage, where his brother, wife and three children live.
Despite Harry’s support for his father, the coronation is expected to be uncomfortable for the royals due to the deep rifts left by Harry and Meghan’s six-part Netflix docuseries and the Prince’s book.
Prince William is one of the family members expected to wring the duke’s neck, and Queen Camilla has also been “hurt” by the book, which branded her as “dangerous” and a “bad guy.”
Lady Lansdowne, an old friend of the Queen’s and now an official companion of hers, said Camilla was ‘hurt’ by the allegations but she ‘didn’t let it sink in’.
At the time there was no word on how the new queen was feeling, but one contributor has now told The Sunday Times: “It wasn’t a foot stamp or a gnashing of teeth – it was very much a blinding reaction.”
However, it is reported that many family members have no intention of speaking to Prince Harry beyond the most basic greetings, with the possible exceptions of old allies Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
His wife Meghan Markle will not be the only one watching from home, after it was announced this week that Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was not invited to the ceremony.
She was to be invited to a private reception at Buckingham Palace afterwards, but despite her close friendship with the late Queen, did not make the 2,000-strong guest list.