Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reacts as she, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Queen Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 19, 2022.
Toby Melville | Reuters
King Charles III’s office has been in contact with Prince Harry concerning the recent monarch’s coronation, raising the likelihood the prince will attend the historic ceremony despite tensions throughout the royal family.
If Harry and his wife, Meghan, were to attend the May 6 coronation at Westminster Abbey in London, it might be the primary meeting between Charles and his younger son since Harry deepened the rift throughout the House of Windsor by revealing family secrets in his bestselling book, “Spare.”
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan, also generally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, confirmed Sunday that Harry had received “piece of email” from the king’s office concerning the coronation. Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
“A right away decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend is not going to be disclosed by us right now,” the couple’s office said in an announcement.
Speculation about whether Harry and Meghan could be invited to the coronation has raged for the reason that release of Harry’s explosive memoir, which contained damning allegations of intrigue behind the palace partitions.
The disclosures, including details of personal conversations along with his father and brother, Prince William, fanned tensions between Harry and his family that became public when he and his wife moved to North America in 2020.
The book also included allegations that members of the royal family frequently feed the press unflattering details about other members of the House of Windsor in exchange for positive coverage of themselves.
The prince singled out Camilla, the queen consort, accusing her of leaking private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after marrying Charles. Camilla was once reviled for her long-term affair with Charles, which contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to the late Prince Diana, Harry and William’s mother.
The acrimony between Harry and his family once more spilled into public view this week when the Sussexes acknowledged they were asked to vacate their home in Britain.
Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London, was the couple’s most important residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Montecito, a wealthy enclave in Southern California.
The Sun newspaper reported that Charles asked them to relinquish the dwelling on Jan. 11, the day after Harry’s memoir was published.
But issues apart from the book can have sparked the request.
Charles, who became king after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, has said he plans to chop the variety of working royals and reduce the price of the monarchy as he seeks to modernize the 1,000-year-old institution in hopes of ensuring its survival.
With Harry and Meghan now living in California, leaving a royal residence without occupants so that they have a spot to remain on their occasional visits to the U.K. can have been seen as a nasty look.
Harry, meanwhile, continues to share his personal experiences and critique of the royal family as he promotes his book.
While participating Saturday in a live-streamed conversation with Dr. Gabor Mate, creator of “The Myth Of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing In A Toxic Culture,” the prince discussed his past drug use and said he had urged other family members to have therapy.
He said criticism of “Spare” won’t make him silent because talking about these issues has helped him take care of the trauma in his life.
“The more they criticize, the more they comment, the more I feel the necessity to share,” Harry said. “I discovered a strategy to give you the chance to go searching, and firstly ignore, the criticisms and the abuse.”
