After a protracted period of tense relations between the California-based Sussex family and King Charles and Prince William in Britain, speculation over the couple’s attendance has been circulating in the British press. This speculation was intensified after the December 2022 releases of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries and the prince’s memoir.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, King Charles said: “The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace is happy to announce. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will continue to live in California with the Duchess of Sussex.”
Since May 6 is also the birthday of Harry and Meghan’s son, Prince Archie, the day of the coronation itself is a significant occasion. On the day when his grandfather is crowned king, he will become 4 years old.
According to YouGov, the news was released when Harry and Meghan’s popularity in Britain hit a record low. In the first quarter of 2023 polling, Meghan’s net approval rating was registered at -27, while Harry’s is currently sitting at -22 in his native country.
A weekend of festivities will be held to commemorate the coronation, including the official ceremony on May 6 and a spectacular concert at Windsor Castle on May 7. To commemorate the royal occasion, the first of its sort since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953, the British government declared May 8 a national holiday last year.
Harry will be in the UK for the event, but it is unknown if he will take part in the wider coronation festivities. Only his attendance for the service itself was confirmed by the notification from Buckingham Palace.
Harry and his family will be attending their first public function together since Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022. When the queen passed away, the prince and Meghan were in the U.K. participating in charity events, and they went to her state burial.
Since the release of his memoir Spare, in which he made a number of allegations against his family and the royal institution, Harry has not been seen in public with his brother, William, or father, Charles.
Buckingham Palace adopted a general “no comment” stance on the memoir despite a number of high-profile charges, which helped it become the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time.
Given the apparent gap between him and his father, Harry was questioned if he would attend the coronation in an interview with Britain’s ITV network to promote the book (the prince also confirmed that he and Charles were not currently speaking).
He answered: “There are many things that could occur between now and then. But the door is always open, you know. They now have the initiative. There is a lot to talk about, and I sincerely hope they can—that they are prepared to sit down and do so.”
Aside from confirming Harry’s attendance at the coronation, Buckingham Palace’s announcement on Wednesday was noteworthy for another reason. In official correspondence from the institution, the royal family’s children are now officially referred to as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for the first time.
As their grandfather assumed his new position, Archie and Lilibet had a right to it. The titles weren’t made public, though, until Harry and Meghan revealed that Princess Lilibet had been baptized last month.