Omid Scobie has revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had to wait ‘some time’ to get confirmation that they were 100 per cent welcome at the coronation in London.
The royal author, 41, who wrote the couple’s biography Finding Freedom, revealed that Harry never wavered whether to go or not, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be invited.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, the journalist said: ‘There was never any question whether he would want to come or not, it was a question at one point whether he would be invited I think.
“From what I understand, the Sussexes had to wait some time to really get confirmation that they were 100 per cent welcome at this event.
Of course, this all follows the release of Spare.
“But for Harry there was certainly no doubt about it [attending]. Ultimately, he is fifth in line to the throne. He is a councilor of state.
“There is a serious constitutional reason for him to be here and he takes it seriously, even though he is not a working member of the royal family.”
He added that the occasion will also be an emotional one for the Duke, adding: “As we have heard from him time and time again in his interviews, despite the pain he has experienced from his own family, he still gives about them.
“So much can happen over time and I don’t think he would want to look back and regret not being there at the time.”
Speaking of Harry’s role in the coronation, Omid admitted that he will have no official role other than “being here.”
He said: “Unfortunately nothing was carved out for him in the ceremony and I imagine if Harry and Meghan were still working royals and everything had turned out differently there might have been some way they were orchestrated into it or at least to be visible on that big balcony.
“But obviously that’s not the case and people are wondering where Harry will be.
Will he be with the citizens or will he be with his relatives, and if he is in which row will he sit?
Omid Scobie revealed Harry and Meghan had to wait ‘a while’ to get confirmation they were 100 per cent welcome at the coronation in London
Prince Harry and Meghan beamed as they arrived for the 2023 Invictus Games Düsseldorf
“I think people will look to see that almost as a reflection of where he stands with his family today, but he has no say in it.”
Speaking of the contact Harry has had with his father since the release of his tell all book Spare, Omid claimed that the pair had spoken on the phone a few times.
He said, “Obviously this is the first time he’s seen his family in person since the release of Spare. But I don’t think people know that there’s been a somewhat regular pattern of conversation between him and his father since the release of that book.
“Have they now discussed the details and the points he wanted to address? From what I hear, no. But he has been in contact with his father.
King Charles III was pictured visiting the Special Operations Room of the Metropolitan Police Service
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, the journalist said: ‘There was never any question as to whether he would want to come or not’
He went on to say that some of the conversations were negative, including the “loss of Frogmore’s cottage.”
He said, “They lose the keys to it every week now and he would have talked to his father about it.”
Omid also claimed that Harry spoke to the king about the coronation over the phone and made it clear that he wanted to be a part of it.
But unlike his relationship with King Charles, the writer said Harry’s bond with Prince William is still frayed.
He said, “There has been minimal contact since the Queen’s funeral.”
Elsewhere, Omid revealed that Meghan made the decision not to attend the coronation to “protect her peace.”
He said, “She’s aware of how much of the spotlight is on her whenever she sets foot anywhere near the story.”
“It is portrayed as intentional. If she came over and just stood next to her husband, the commentary and story of the day would have been very different.”
The author insisted that some members of the royal family may be relieved that Meghan will not be at the coronation, as they “would rather the attention was not on her.”
He said: “If you look back at some of Harry and Meghan’s biggest problems, it was all down to the fact that the focus was always on them at times when it shouldn’t have been.”