Is it fair for the spare? That was the big question as King Charles III‘s coronation got underway on Saturday, May 6, as Royal fans clamored to see a public reunion of Prince Harry and his family, his first time seeing all of them together since publishing his scathing memoir. He entered the ceremony wearing a suit and his military medals to support his dad during the ceremony.
Prince Harry arrived at the side of his cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Buckingham Palace revealed just hours before the coronation that neither Prince Harry nor his uncle Prince Andrew would have formal roles in the ceremony, according to Britain’s Press Association news agency via CBS News. During the ceremony, the Duke of Sussex was seated with the family, behind his aunt Princess Anne. The two royals will also not join the procession behind the newly-crowned king and queen as they return from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony and neither are expected to appear at the balcony to greet the nation.
Prior to the ceremony, it was announced that Harry would attend alone, while his family stayed in America. While the Coronation is a historic day for the monarchy, it also marks a special occasion for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s family: it is their son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.
Prince Harry is seen at the #Coronation for the first time, walking into Westminster Abbey alongside his cousin Princess Beatrice. https://t.co/HpW93NsOVB pic.twitter.com/L9i097q2XB
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 6, 2023
The Coronation Service of Their Majesties The King Charles III and The Queen Consort was attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 guests, including Members of the Royal Family, international representatives from over 200 countries, and approximately 100 Heads of State. The hand painted invitation, which was shared via the Royal’s Instagram, was sent to all guests. Notably absent among the guests were US President Joe Biden, though his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, attended, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who stayed in America with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
In the official announcement for the King’s coronation made back in October 2022, Buckingham Palace promised that the coronation would “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.” The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the official crowning of Charles with St Edward’s Crown and the crowning of Camila with Queen Mary’s Crown at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6.