Britain's Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father King Charles III next month, but his wife Meghan will remain in the United States with the couple’s children, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old fifth in line to the British throne, who stepped back as a frontline royal and is now based in California with Markle and their kids Archie and Lilibet, will join 2,000 guests at the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6.
There had been a lot of speculation over the delay in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirming whether they would be joining royalty, world leaders and community leaders at the religious service.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
"The Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle) will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," it said.
The visit follows Harry’s controversial revelations of his troubled relationship with Britain’s royal family, in a controversial Netflix documentary and autobiography ‘Spare’.
Archewell, Harry and Meghan's charitable foundation, issued a similar statement to Buckingham Palace soon after.
"The Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," it read.
As the date of the royal Coronation coincides with Archie’s fourth birthday, speculation had been rife around the couple's journey from the US amid a strained relationship between Harry and his father and older brother William, the Prince of Wales.
The decision for Meghan not to attend will inevitably be seen as a sign of unresolved tensions within the family. As Harry is no longer a "working royal", the role he is likely to play in the Coronation day’s ceremonial aspects also remains uncertain.
For Harry's late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not take part in the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony with other working royals.
Last month, Harry made an unexpected appearance in London to attend a court hearing in a case against the Associated Newspapers group about allegations of privacy breaches. However, he reportedly flew back to the US without meeting his father or brother.
King Charles, 74, who succeeded to the British throne after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, and his wife Queen Camilla will be formally crowned at a solemn religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey next month. It marks a 70-year gap since this royal tradition was last seen in action for the late Queen in 1953.
The Coronation is being organised at a grand scale and will be marked by a series of grand events over a celebratory long weekend in the UK between May 6 and 8, including much pomp and pageantry and street parties.
