According to reports, despite the RSVP deadline being on Monday, the palace aides have yet to be notified by the Sussexes about their travel plans from California for the ceremony.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are close to confirming their attendance at King Charles’s Coronation next month, sources claim. However, the Duke of Sussex has expressed concerns and has many questions about how the event will work.
Buckingham Palace is currently making final preparations for the once-in-a-generation ceremony that will see Charles ascending to the throne at Westminster Abbey on May 6, while Camilla will be made Queen.
Despite the reported passing of the deadline for RSVPs on Monday, the Sussexes have yet to inform palace aides if they will fly from California for the service. Nonetheless, a source informed The Times that the couple is likely to confirm their plans soon, particularly now that US President Joe Biden has made his decision.
Biden called Charles to inform him that he would not be attending the service in central London, and instead, his wife Jill would be attending, which some commentators have considered a snub.
The New York Post has reported that preparations are being finalized for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to fly in for the Coronation. According to a source, there have been extensive discussions between the Sussexes and the palace, and it is hoped that Harry and Meghan will attend this historic event. However, there is a time constraint, and Prince Harry has expressed numerous concerns about the event’s logistics.
The service is expected to be a spectacular display of pomp and pageantry, watched by millions worldwide, despite King Charles’s decision to streamline the ceremony. According to previous reports, if Harry and Meghan attend, they will not participate in the Coronation procession or join senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Prince William will be the only royal to kneel and pay homage to the King, a task traditionally performed by all the royal dukes, which Charles has eliminated. This move effectively frees Prince Harry from any ceremonial duties. Harry and Meghan’s young children, Archie and Lilibet, are not expected to play a role in the ceremony and have reportedly not been invited.
Nonetheless, the King would be delighted to see his grandchildren if they attended, as per Royal author Phil Dampier.
According to Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unlikely to have any role in the Coronation ceremony. Fitzwilliam told MailOnline that the couple wishes for the Royal Family to acknowledge that they mistreated them when they were senior working royals and apologize, which is unlikely to happen.
While Lilibet is too young to attend the ceremony, it falls on Archie’s fourth birthday, but he has reportedly not been invited and is too young for any official duties. Fitzwilliam believes that Harry and Meghan will attend the ceremony, as not doing so would isolate them. However, they are unlikely to have any role in the ceremony.