Prince Harry Will Attend King Charles III's Coronation Without Meghan Markle

After weeks of speculation about whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend King Charles III's coronation, we finally have our answer: Prince Harry will be making an appearance, but Meghan Markle will not. According to People, Buckingham Palace confirmed that he will be in attendance of the crowning ceremony of the King and Queen Camilla at London's Westminster Abbey on May 6. "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6^th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," they said.

People reports that Markle won't be attending the coronation as it falls on the same day as her son Archie's fourth birthday. She will stay with Archie and her 22-month-old daughter Lilibet for his birthday celebrations that weekend in California. A friend of Prince Harry's told People that he wanted to be at the service to support his father at this important moment in his life and that's what ultimately helped him with his decision to attend.

Markle did receive receive an invitation to attend the ceremony along with her husband, according to a statement by the palace in early April. It read, "The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time." However, many speculated whether or not the couple would actually accept the invitation to go to the major royal event given their history.

While the official invitation came a month later, in early February, a source close to the royal family shared with People that King Charles wanted his son to join in the celebration. “It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it,” the insider explains. “He would like to have Harry back in the family. If they don’t sort it out, it will always be part of the King’s reign and how he has left his family disjointed. He has had a reputation as a distant parent, and it would be awful for him for that to continue.”

While it is confirmed that Harry will be attending the crowning ceremony—where his father will wear St. Edward’s Crown and Camilla will wear Queen Mary's Crown—it is not certain if he will be present at the other events over the three days of coronation celebrations. The palace will be hosting a concert at Windsor Castle and a volunteer day over the weekend of May 6, as well. There are also speculations whether Prince Harry will have a place of honor with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation. We are excited to see how all the royal celebrations will come to life.