Before eventually deciding to attend the grand royal event, the Duke of Sussex was said to be unsure about showing up considering the tension between him and the rest of the British royal family.
- May 6, 2023
AceShowbiz - Prince Harry has arrived in London for his father King Charles' coronation. The Duke of Sussex landed in England's capital city on a commercial flight on Friday, May 5, one day before the grand royal event.
At the coronation ceremony, Charles and his wife, Camilla, will officially be crowned king and queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. The event is slated to take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
It was reported that before eventually deciding to attend his father's coronation, Harry was initially unsure about showing up considering the tension between him and the rest of the British royal family due to his tell-all memoir "Spare" as well as his and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. However, the 38-year-old royal is always open to mending their relationship.
"There's a lot that can happen between now and then," Harry confessed during his January ITV interview with Tom Bradby. "But, you know, the door is always open. 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."
He continued at the time, "I want a family, not an institution. … They've shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile. I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother, [Prince William], back. It never needed to be this way. The leaking and the planting … They feel as though it's better to keep us, somehow, as the villains."
Meanwhile, Harry will attend the historic occasion alone as his wife remains in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May," Buckingham Palace announced in a statement last month. "The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
However, a source previously claimed that Harry won't be in the U.K. for too long as he will return to Los Angeles two hours after the ceremony in order to make it in time for Archie's 4th birthday celebration. "Harry's going to make every effort to get back in time for Archie's birthday," an insider said. The informant went on to note that Harry will be flying commercial, not private.
In other news, King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton surprised well-wishers when they greeted them outside of Buckingham Palace on Friday afternoon. Ahead of the coronation, people have been camped out for several nights along The Mall, a broad, tree-lined avenue that leads straight to the front gate of Buckingham Palace, to get the best view during the ceremony.
A woman named Joan detailed to CBS News her brief exchange with King Charles. "I said to him, 'Congratulations for tomorrow,' and he turned to us and shook our hand," said Joan, who spent two nights camped out on The Mall. "He asked if anybody overnighted, and my hair is sticking up, and I said, 'Yes!' And he leaned over and shook my hand."
Ahead of the coronation, royal family also met high-profile guests at Buckingham Palace. At a reception for realm prime ministers and governors general, Prince William could be heard saying, "We're praying for the weather tomorrow, we need a bit of sunshine tomorrow please. Did you hear the thunder just now?"
The coronation service on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 11 A.M. local time or 6 A.M. ET.
