Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Attend King Charles III Coronation?

We're roughly three months away from King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla’s coronation, which means that the royal couple is busy preparing for the ceremonial event. On May 6, 2023, Charles and Camilla will be crowned at London's Westminster Abbey, and their coronation will be a huge moment symbolizing their new roles in England. Because the crowning is such a big deal for the couple, Charles wants all of the most important people in his life in the crowd—including his son Prince Harry. 

In a cover story for People, which was published on February 8, 2023, a source close to the royal family reveals that the British monarch hopes Harry will attend his coronation. “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.”

With the release of Harry & Meghan in December of 2022—a six-part Netflix docuseries that explores the couple’s relationship and the challenges that led them to step down as senior members of the royal family in 2020—and Spare in January of 2023—the Duke of Sussex’s tell-all memoir that details controversies within the royal family—the royal family has become even more divided. However, Charles and Camilla have chosen to stay silent since the release of the book. 

Despite the accusations documented in Spare, Charles is ready to move past the issue and extend the olive branch. “Quite apart from his paternal hope to reunite with his son, one of the jobs of the royal family is showing how to cope with the problems we all have in a human and thoughtful way,” royal historian Robert Lacey tells the outlet. “What will be a success for the family in the future is not reconciliation necessarily but mutual acceptance of different ideas and priorities. There have been some very grave disagreements between them, but the Platinum Jubilee and the funerals of the queen and Prince Philip did demonstrate that they could put personal enmity aside for the sake of the bigger cause, and that is what the coronation will be all about.”

The source tells People that Harry and Meghan will receive an invitation to the coronation, but another insider close to the couple notes that the duke and duchess haven’t gotten their invite just yet. Not to mention, the source mentions that the royal family hasn’t taken any strides to make reconciliation. In an interview with ITV news anchor Tom Bradby in January of 2023, Harry revealed that he would need a conversation before considering attending the coronation. “There's a lot that can happen between now and then, but you know, the door is always open,” he shared. “The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it." The source says that Harry and Meghan want an apology, but at this moment, it might be a challenge.

In addition to finalizing their guest list, Charles and Camilla are also gearing up for their coronation by launching the official website for the event, which was released on February 6, 2023. The online hub contains all of the information the public needs to know about the ceremony, plus a two-hour “Coronation Celebration Playlist” on Spotify to get them in the mood. The soundtrack has 27 songs from major artists, such as Coldplay, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, and Harry Styles. The day after Charles is crowned king, there will be a coronation concert at Windsor Castle to celebrate. According to the website, the lineup of performers hasn’t been announced yet, but there will be tickets given to the public through a national ballot, and it will also be broadcasted live.