When an American like me hears the word “coronation,” the first thing I usually think of is Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries 2 or musical opening to Frozen. For those of us across the pond, the coronation of a new monarch is like something out of a Disney movie – so it’s hard to imagine that the coronation of a new king is fast approaching, and not just because most of us never thought it would come Day.
There has been much speculation about the upcoming coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, May 6. Most interestingly, will his estranged son attend the ceremony after Harry’s big year of bombshell claims, documentaries and memories of his ‘baby’.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have not yet revealed whether they will attend the coronation, despite having received an invitation via “email correspondence”. Who knew the royal family also send invitations to parties via email? It’s no surprise that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also declined to be crowned, given that the King recently kicked them out of their UK home, Frogmore Cottage.
This is not the only detail that makes it difficult for them to decide whether to come to the coronation or not. Harry noted that he was seeking an “apology” from the King and his brother, the Prince of Wales, before committing to the ceremony. Speaking to ITV’s Tom Bradby in January, Harry even said “the ball is on their side” – something I always say when waiting for my Hinge partner to text me back.
Let’s face it: we should all want to see Harry and Meghan at the coronation of King Charles III. Yes, it would be a positive sign that this once feuding family has opened a new chapter, but it would also turn the coronation from any other royal engagement into must-see television – something the California couple do best.
Amid speculation about the King’s guest list, a clip from the Netflix documentary series about Harry and Meghan has recently gone viral online. The video comes from the sixth episode of the program Harry and Meghan, which hit Netflix on December 8. In the clip, Prince Harry is seen receiving a message from his brother after their joint interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
“What am I looking at?” Meghan asks Harry as he shows her his phone. “Wow,” he says when he realizes it’s a message from Prince William. Harry, who seemed shaken by the unexpected news, told his wife, “I’d like to know what to do.”
She then comes over to comfort her husband with a hug, saying, “I know. Let’s take a breath. Get some air and then decide.
Viewer reactions to the viral video have been mixed, as has pretty much everything Harry and Meghan do. Some comments criticized the couple for letting people into private messages between Harry and his brother, while others praised them for showing affection in public like any other married couple. In fact, it’s Harry and Meghan’s emotional display in moments of worship that has captured people’s attention in the past.
From the reappearance of a video of Meghan comforting Harry to the time the two held hands as they exited a service at Westminster Hall following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the couple have often been accused of breaking royal “protocol” – protocol that which Harry once claimed never existed before. I mean, it makes sense that Harry and Meghan would certainly find comfort in each other if they choose to attend Charles’s coronation, where they are surrounded by people who would rather give them a “cold shoulder”.
May’s coronation, which also coincides with their son Archie Harrison’s fourth birthday, could also be the first meeting between Harry and Meghan’s two children – Archie and Lilibet Diana – in the UK since the couple stepped down as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 Given the hype surrounding their recent appointment as prince and princess, why not use a trip across the pond to show off their children’s new titles?
King Charles will not be the only one to play a role in the upcoming coronation. It has been confirmed that the ceremony will include the coronation of both Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who will be crowned side by side. This means that at his coronation in May, Prince Harry will face not only his estranged father and brother, but also his stepmother – whom he once described as a “villain” in an interview with Anderson Cooper for CBS. 60 minutes. Could the coronation of the Queen Consort also mean a showdown between the prince and his so-called wicked stepmother, a la Cinderella? Perhaps the coronation will actually be like a Disney movie.
It’s really up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle whether they choose to leave the idealized comforts of their home in Montecito for the dark, hallowed halls of Westminster Abbey. I wouldn’t blame them if they chose not to attend King Charles’s coronation, though we’d all be careless about some amusement.
