Despite more than 2000 people receiving invites to fill the pews at Westminster Abbey on May 6 to witness King Charles III getting crowned, the hottest ticket of all is much harder to come by.
And that’s even if you happen to be a member of His Majesty’s family.
WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tribute to Elton John
After months of intense speculation, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Harry would attend the coronation with just over a month to go before the big day.
He would, however, be making the journey across continents alone.
Many thought Harry would not attend the coronation as he has called out his family on multiple occasions in recent history; during his infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, in the documentary series Harry & Meghan, in his tell-all memoir Spare….most recently Prince Harry even accused his family members of “withholding information” from him when he appeared in court on March 28 for his phone hacking case against Associated Newspapers Ltd.
But, he ended up making a whirlwind 24-hour appearance in London for the history-making occasion.
Why did Harry attend the coronation of King Charles without Meghan?
An insider source told New Idea that Harry felt “duty bound” to attend his father’s coronation, even if it does mean he missed his son’s birthday.
“He’s torn, because Meghan had all these grand plans of a star-studded birthday bash, now that Archie is old enough to remember his parties. She isn’t happy that he may miss such a special occasion.”
We can also assume that the intense media attention may be too much for Meghan, who is enjoying life away from the British press in her Californian home.
Being the devoted husband that he is, Harry clearly understands Meghan’s reasoning as to why she does not want to attend, although we are sure that having his wife there with him would have made the day easier.
WATCH: Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Californian Netflix mansion
Why didn’t Meghan Markle attend the coronation of King Charles?
Given that Prince Archie will celebrated his fourth birthday on May 6th, the same day as the coronation, his mum, and sister Lilibet remained with him in their Californian home to mark the occasion privately.
She was however officially invited alongside her husband, a representative for the couple confirming that to the media on their behalf.
“Meghan wants to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the scrutiny she receives outweighs the support,” a source told People.
“There’s always going to be that other side challenging their [Harry and Meghan] reasoning, and who wants to put themselves in that position?”
Other royal experts say that given Archie’s birthday clashes with the occasion, the Duchess of Sussex was given a “reasonable excuse not to come.”
According to The Daily Mail, Prince Harry left London straight after the ceremony. The outlet also reported, according to a close source, the King seemed “genuinely quite disappointed” he wasn’t in attendance, toasting to “those that weren’t there” and also making a point to wish Archie a happy birthday “wherever he was”.
WATCH: Meghan Markle asked to choose between Prince Harry and Prince William
RELATED || Will King Charles III Revoke Archie and Lilibet’s New Titles?
What is the British Royal Line of Succession?
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
