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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sian Hewitt

Will Harry and Meghan attend the King’s coronation? Here’s what we know

Speculation has been mounting over whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be attending King Charles’s Coronation this weekend.

Last month, those eagerly awaiting the couple’s RSVP finally got an answer to the big question.

We know the pair - who have a much-publicised difficult relationship with the rest of the Royal Family - had received an invite, but it has since been confirmed that only Harry will be in attendance.

A spokesperson for the couple has confirmed the pair received an email regarding the event.

“I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation,” they said.

Here’s everything we know:

Will Harry and Meghan attend?

It has been months of speculation but now we know. Prince Harry will be in attendance at the event, but Meghan will not - with the pair saying she will stay at home in the US with both of their children.

Where and when is the coronation?

The coronation is scheduled to take place on May 6, and an extra bank holiday has been announced for the British public to join in with the celebrations. The ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey.

Check out our guide to everything you need to know about how the day will run, plus a programme of events.

The service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” Buckingham Palace has said.

Who has been invited?

As far as we know, from the Sussex family, only Harry and Meghan themselves had been invited. It has been reported that the Duke and Duchess have received a formal invitation but it is understood that correspondence from Buckingham Palace did not mention three-year-old Archie or one-year-old Lilibet, with the Sussex children not invited to the event.

Who does want Harry and Meghan there?

It is believed the Royal Family want all in attendance to put on a united front after a turbulent past. The public have also said in their droves that they would like to see the pair there. A Standard poll revealed that a massive 60 per cent would want the Duke of Sussex to be at his father’s ceremony in May. The Ipsos survey for the Standard found 60 per cent of adults believe the Duke of Sussex should be offered a place at the ceremony.

But after the controversies sparked by his Spare autobiography, Netflix series, and other recent TV interviews, 30 per cent believe he should not be invited.

Where would Harry and Meghan stay?

The pair were famously evicted from their UK residence of Frogmore Cottage earlier this year after the release of Harry’s autobiography Spare and the Netflix series. But it has been revealed how the King has offered the pair their former home for their stay during the Coronation should they wish to come.

Harry has consistently expressed fears over the security his family receives when they visit the UK after they were stripped of their full Scotland Yard protection team detail. Frogmore is within the grounds of the Windsor estate and, as such, the Grade II listed cottage has full police protection.

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