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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Kyle O'Sullivan

Inside Prince Harry's whirlwind 28-hour Coronation trip - night of silence and diversion

For many of us it feels like the King's Coronation went on forever, but for Prince Harry it was over in the blink of an eye.

And it may be one of the last visits he makes back for a royal occasion in a very long time.

It's believed the Duke of Sussex spent just 28 hours in the UK for his whirlwind trip - as he dashed back home to California to see Prince Archie on his fourth birthday.

The only formal part of the Coronation which Harry took part in was the ceremony in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, as he flew home before the street parties, Windsor Castle concert and Big Help Out day.

While he did make a surprise detour to Buckingham Palace for 30 minutes, Harry did not speak to any relatives as they were busy with the procession, balcony appearance and taking the official photographs.

So where did it all begin? Harry left his Montecito home on Thursday afternoon and was driven 100 miles to Los Angeles airport by his private security team.

Prince Harry arrives for the coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey (Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)
Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi speaking with Prince Harry (Getty Images)

Harry got some sleep on his overnight American Airlines flight to London and landed at Heathrow just after 11.20am on Friday morning, the Daily Telegraph reports.

He was whisked away on a 20 minute drive to Frogmore Cottage, the place which he had once called home but was forced to give up by the King.

The decision to evict the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which was said to have left the couple "stunned", was reportedly made shortly after Harry's memoir Spare was released in January.

The late Queen gifted Frogmore Cottage to the Sussexes following their wedding back in 2018, but now they have been told it is "needed for someone else".

It was previously reported that Harry would need to move their belongings out shortly after the Coronation, so it's likely he will never stay there ever again.

Other members of the Royal Family went to a dinner in Central London on the night before the ceremony, but Harry was not present at the private Mayfair club.

Prince Harry taking his seat at the ceremony (Getty Images)

Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence attended Oswald's club, along with younger royals James, Earl of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and their husbands.

Zara and Mike Tindall were also at the bash and continued their evening at nearby The Arts Club until around 2am, but their cousin was nowhere to be seen.

A possibly jet-lagged Harry had a much quieter night in Windsor, seemingly spending many hours alone without any relatives.

It's believed he didn't see older brother Prince William or have any contact with his father or stepmother.

On the day of the Coronation itself, Harry was picked up from Frogmore at 9.30am in a black BMW and was taken to Westminster Abbey.

There had been a lot of discussions about his security detail - and he was assigned a Scotland Yard protection squad to ensure his safe passage.

Harry was without wife Meghan Markle (Getty Images)

Harry rocked up at the Abbey alone, as wife Meghan Markle had decided to stay Stateside so she could celebrate Archie's birthday.

Meghan reportedly felt that attending the historic event would have been "inauthentic," and she wanted to "minimize the drama."

Despite being the grandchildren of the new King, it is believed that Archie, four, and sister Princess Lilibet, one, were not invited, with sources citing that the kids are "very young".

Harry gathered at the entrance with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

He was seen mimicking his Eugenie's heavily pregnant state upon his arrival, getting some laughs from his cousin and her hubby as he grinned and used two hands cupped widely under his stomach.

Harry walked down to his seat between the two couples, saying "hello", "morning" and "nice to see you" to various people.

Harry walked in between his cousins and their husbands (AP)
Harry was sat next to Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank (AP)

Our lip reader has also claimed he said "look at that" while noticing the grandeur of the occasion and also said "delightful".

He also appeared to say "good luck" to the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who famously presided over his wedding to Meghan.

Harry was sat in the third row next to Eugenie's husband Jack and Princess Alexandra - the cousin of the late Queen, who hadn't had a working royal engagement in a decade.

According to our lip reader, Harry joked about his quick visit to the UK and revealed he was going to be jetting back to the US at "quarter to four".

It's also believed he claimed he was "fed up" and made a cryptic reference to a mystery 'meeting' which may or may not have taken place.

The duke was seen grinning as he shared a sweet exchange with Princess Anne, who awkwardly was blocking his view with a red feather on her hat.

Harry having a laugh with Jack and Eugenie after the ceremony (Getty Images)

As William and Kate proceeded to their seats, Harry caught sight of his brother and performed an "ignore" gesture, according to body language expert Judi James.

She said: "Harry was looking up as Charles, William and Kate arrived to walk past but after looking at his father, Harry turned his head to speak to Eduardo again in a very odd way at a crucial point in the ceremony when all eyes and attention were on Charles and William's arrival."

The brothers looked worlds apart, with William taking centre stage as he planted a kiss on the monarch's cheek after he'd been crowned.

When the congregation paid homage to the new monarch, Harry was seen, along with the other royals around him, speaking the words: "God save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May the King live forever."

However, some claimed that he stopped singing God Save the King as his father passed him during the procession.

After the two-hour ceremony, Harry was seen speaking to Eugenie and Jack, perhaps the only royals who have continued to visit him and Meghan.

Harry after the ceremony - stood behind Prince Andrew (Getty Images)

While the working royals made their way to Buckingham Palace as part of the procession, Harry got in a car and slipped in for a very quick visit.

The Palace trip was for logistical reasons, allowed him to take a moment out of the public gaze rather than meet up with his family.

It's not believed he spoke to any relatives, some of whom were involved in the balcony appearance and official photos, and was in and out of the Palace in 30 minutes.

Harry was invited to the post-Coronation Palace lunch, but decided he wanted to head straight home to California to be with his family.

Facing a race against time to see Archie on his birthday, Harry dashed off to Heathrow in a bid to make the 3.45pm flight to LAX.

Harry stood outside the Abbey with Mike Tindall (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
Prince Harry departs Westminster Abbey after the Coronation of King Charles III (WireImage)

It was so quick he didn't even have time to change out of his morning suit or take off his medals, but he did have to switch cars on the way as his official police protection had ended.

His flight landed at Los Angeles just before 6.30pm local time - and a black Range Rover picked him up from the VIP area for the two-hour drive back to Montecito.

Sadly, Harry did miss his son's intimate birthday party, where Meghan baked a lemon cake for Archie using fruit from their garden.

However, his mad dash home was worth it in the end as he managed to give Archie and Lilibet a goodnight kiss before bed.

It was a very eventful 28 hours for Harry - and who knows when he will next be back in the UK.

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