Between the death of Britain’s beloved Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry’s book release, King Charles III’s first months on the throne got overshadowed. The new king is set to be coronated in May, and he plans to shake things up — but we can’t stop talking about Prince Harry.
Prince Harry has been busy
Harry has earned a reputation for being outspoken about family matters. Months after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, detailed their royal exit in the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan,” he published his memoir “Spare,” which made “Harry & Meghan” look weak in terms of bombshell reveals.
But what Harry has not told us is if he and Meghan will attend the king’s coronation, and people are getting curious.
How ‘Spare’ impacted Harry’s royal relationships
In short, “Spare” details the messy relationship between Harry and his older brother, Prince William (including a much-talked about physical altercation), the even messier relationship between Markle and Kate Middleton and everything in between — including Charles’ decision to marry Camilla despite protests from his sons.
Harry spent roughly two months in the media spotlight — but his moment of headline domination did not come without consequence. Other than losing a potential “SNL” hosting gig and becoming a TikTok meme, Harry’s familial relationships were strained in wake of his memoir.
Before “Spare” officially hit the shelves, Harry told Tom Bradby during an ITV interview, “I would like to get my father back; I would like to have my brother back” but that “they’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.”
Will Prince Harry attend King Charles’ coronation?
It’s unclear, but most likely Harry will be at the coronation.
According to the Daily Mail, the royal family is “fully expecting” Harry and Meghan to be in attendance.
“Members of the family have told me that both Harry and Meghan will definitely come. They fully expect that,” a royal source told the Daily Mail. “And they should realize that there is only one subject that many members of the royal family will be willing to discuss … and that’s the weather.”
The bigger mystery might be what Harry’s role in the king’s coronation will be. After leaving his royal duties behind, Harry was stripped of his military titles and was not allowed to wear his military uniform during Elizabeth’s funeral service, per Deseret News.
Harry and Meghan were also uninvited from the pre-funeral reception in September because they are no longer working royals, reported the New York Post.
So while it is likely Harry will be at the coronation, his role in the ceremony remains unknown.
King Charles’ coronation will be different
Charles’ coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
Coronation is a symbolic religious ceremony when a sovereign leader is crowned, it formalizes the monarch’s role as head of the Church of England. But it is not necessary for a new leader to become king or queen, reports the BBC.
Charles plans to keep core traditions alive for his coronation, but it is going to look different from his mother’s. Like Elizabeth, Charles will take the coronation oath, get anointed with consecrated oil, receive the orb and scepters and have St. Edward’s crown placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury, per Vogue.
Charles’ coronation is set to be shorter and of smaller scale than Elizabeth’s and represent a broader range of religions, per the BBC. Since it is paid for by the government, Charles expressed interest in a ceremony of “good value” in cost, per Vogue.
“The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” Buckingham Palace wrote in a statement.