Operation Harry in a hurry: The Duke of Sussex may be flown to Britain for a 48-hour coronation visit

Prince Harry could fly in and out of Britain for a 48-hour appearance at King Charles’s coronation without his wife Meghan, sources said last night.

One working theory, dubbed ‘Harry in a hurry’, is that Meghan will stay in California to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday while Harry flies out to make a brief appearance at the event on May 6.

Yesterday it was reported that both Harry and Meghan would be invited to the ceremony, but it is not yet clear if they will accept in the wake of Harry’s revealing memories of royal infighting.

The report came after the revelation in the Mail on Sunday last week that the Archbishop of Canterbury had been embroiled in discussions over the couple’s invitation to the 90-minute service.

It was suggested that they might accept the invitation if they were given a prominent bench and promised that Harry would not lose his royal titles.

Sources close to the organizers say Charles’ desire to offer a reduced and ‘diverse’ coronation has proven to be a nightmare for organizers who are racing against time to complete the arrangements.

The monarch reduced the guest list for the coronation to just over 2,000 people, compared to the 8,000 who watched Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.

However, she has also halved the time to organize from the 16 months it took to prepare for her mother’s service.

Government sources say that the next few weeks will be a “crucial moment” to decide how many peers, politicians, diplomats and bishops will be invited. Seventy years ago, almost everyone made the cut.

But the King was informed that the list of 8,000 people could only be achieved because a number of temporary structures were added to the abbey.

Doing it again would risk damaging the 900-year-old building and would take too long.

The alternative of using the much larger St Paul’s Cathedral would be both a break with tradition and an unwelcome reminder of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana.

Some experts have suggested that the nearby Westminster Hall could be used as an “overflow site”, such as at some weddings, with guests watching on screens.

One source said that “cutting the guest list so radically while also making it more diverse is proving to be a total nightmare.”

In 1953, the guest list included every member of the aristocracy with a hereditary title (currently there are 807), plus every member of the Privy Council (a total of 741) and every bishop (now numbering over 100), as well as as heads of state and ambassadors from around the world. Seventy years ago, they all brought their spouses as well.

In addition to the bishops, to meet the ‘diversity’ requirement, space would also have to be found for representatives of other religions.

One person involved in the planning said: “We need Wembley Stadium, not Westminster Abbey.”

A source said: “It would have made more sense to have the Coronation in the autumn… but Charles was looking forward to it.”