Prince Harry Apparently Decided to Attend the Coronation a Month Ago, Despite Late RSVP

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published 17 April 2023

Though we just found out about Prince Harry’s RSVP decision surrounding his father King Charles’ Coronation last Wednesday—nine days after the RSVP deadline—according to The Mirror, Harry had made his decision a month ago, but was waiting to figure out one important piece of the puzzle: How his and Meghan Markle’s children would fit into the picture.

A former equerry who is close to both Harry and his brother Prince William said that he was aware of Harry’s plans to attend the May 6 ceremony at the beginning of March, but that Harry had demands surrounding his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Archie turns four years old on the same day as the Coronation, and Charles was reportedly happy to make a nod to his grandson and raise a glass to him during lunch, The Mirror reports. That said, it’s unclear if Harry will even be in attendance at said lunch, as he is reportedly keen to attend the ceremony then rush home to California and his family there.

“The King considered a toast to Archie,” a source told The Mail on Sunday. But with no member of the Sussex family now due at the lunch, it is highly unlikely he would do in their absence.”

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While Harry will be in attendance at the Coronation, Meghan will stay behind with the children in California. Royal commentator Kristen Meinzer told Insider that it made sense for one parent to stay home and celebrate Archie’s birthday while the other fulfills his royal obligation.

“I think the decision for Harry to go and for Meghan to stay home with the children on Archie’s birthday is a brilliant way to split the difference,” Meinzer said. “As I’ve said in the past, the primary benefit of attending is the optics—of looking as though they’re continuing to do their best on their end, even if the royal family isn’t always doing their best on their end. But I’ve always maintained that the Sussexes must also do what’s best for their own little family and their own mental health. It sounds like that’s what they’ll be doing.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.