March 29, 2024

Prince Harry has reportedly planned a whistlestop visit for his father’s Coronation next weekend, intending to fly back to the US within two hours of the ceremony’s end.

The Duke of Sussex will see his father, King Charles III, crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday but will be jetting straight back to his LA home.

It is understood the Duke will only be in the UK for around 24 hours as he intends to be back home for his son Archie’s fourth birthday, which coincides with Saturday’s Coronation.

The ceremony to formally crown the King is set to start at 11am and will last for around two hours. Harry will then be in he air around two hours later at 3pm.

The historic ceremony will be the first time Harry will be pictured with the Windsors since the funeral of his grandmother the late Queen, and the first time since lambasting the royals in his memoirs.

It comes as the full details of the Coronation were unveiled with the British public invited to pledge their allegiance to the King for the first time.

The Duke of Sussex will see his father, King Charles III, crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday. Pictured: The Duke of Sussex at the Southbank Centre, London, July 17, 2018

Harry (right) will be jetting straight back to his LA home after the ceremony to his wife Meghan and their two children

The Duke of Sussex will see his father Charles crowned King on Saturday. It is understood the Duke will only be in the UK for around 24 hours

Regarding his brief visit for the Coronation, a source told The Sun: ‘Harry will be in and out of the UK in 24 hours.

‘He will only be doing the Coronation service then leaving.’

It was already reported earlier this month that the Prince would be going it alone at the Coronation, leaving wife Meghan with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the news some weeks ago in a statement, saying it was ‘pleased to confirm’ the Duke of Sussex will be at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

But the Duchess of Sussex will stay home at the couple’s residence in Montecito with one-year-old Lilibet and Archie.

Following the earlier announcement over the royal couple’s attendance, and a royal observer told MailOnline: ‘Charles will be pleased. The rest of the family will be relieved that Meghan won’t be there – it would have been particularly uncomfortable for Kate.’

There had been much uncertainty within the palace over the Sussexes’ attendance. It was thought to have left royal officials unable to sign off arrangements for seating plans, transport, and security, as the announcement came after the official RSVP date.

But Harry, who laid bare his troubled relationship with the Royal Family in his Netflix documentary and autobiography Spare, will now be witness to his father Charles and stepmother the Queen Consort’s crowning next month.

Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles, pictured at the State Opening of Parliament in 2013

 

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are pictured in Malton, North Yorkshire, on April 5

The late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020 

The Gold State Coach during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in London in June 2022

Harry’s attendance comes as coronation organisers admitted that they were stressed about the Prince’s plans on Saturday and that it was like ‘trying to communicate with Mars’.

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday, royal insiders said they were still seeking confirmation of ‘when he is coming, where he is staying, when he is going back and whether he is happy with his seating position in the Abbey’, despite it being less than a week away. 

It was revealed in February that the organisers of the state occassion were operating on the basis of a ‘Harry in a hurry’ appearance by the Prince. It was understood that he would pay a lightning visit without Meghan – which was confirmed to be the case earlier this month.

Harry’s attendance comes despite the rift within the Royal Family prompted by the Duke’s decision to reveal family secrets in his bestselling book.

The revelations, including details of private conversations with his father – and his brother, Prince William – fanned tensions between Harry and his family that became public when he and his wife moved to North America in 2020.

The book also included allegations that members of the royal family regularly feed the press unflattering information about other members of the House of Windsor in exchange for positive coverage of themselves.

Asked in one interview in January whether he would attend the coronation if given an invitation, Harry said: ‘There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But the door is always open.’

Harry’s attendance will see him appear in a public setting with Charles, Camilla, his brother the Prince of Wales, sister in law the Princess of Wales and the rest of his family for the first time since he lambasted the royals in his memoirs.

The Prince of Wales (right) and the Duke of Sussex before holding a vigil beside the coffin of their grandmother

Prince Harry may display a different tribute for the King’s coronation while Prince William is expected to be allowed to wear military garb

Prince Harry pictured with the ER initials on the shoulder of his military uniform as he attended the Founder’s Day Parade at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in June 2019

It will also be the first time he has been pictured with the Windsors since the funeral of his grandmother the late Queen.

Harry criticised Charles’s parenting, said the King was jealous of Meghan and Kate, and accused William of physically attacking him in his tell-all book, which was published in January.

He also branded Camilla ‘dangerous’ and accused her of sacrificing him on her own ‘personal PR altar’.

The Prince may also face ‘uniform humiliaion’ at Saturday’s coronation as he may not be allowed to wear his military garb.

Royal commentators have considered what the prince will be wearing and whether he will even be allowed to fit within the processions to Westminster Abbey. 

Military Historian Dr Peter Johnston told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat that Harry may be allowed to display a different tribute to his service despite serving two tours in Afghanistan. 

‘I imagine Harry won’t wear uniform [at the Coronation],’ he said.

‘Even as a veteran who did two tours in Afghanistan, he won’t wear uniform.

‘I imagine he’ll wear his medals but quite where he fits within the procession and where he comes, I think will be probably reasonably similar to where he was at the funeral as well.’

Discussing Harry’s role in the procession, the historical expert added that he will ‘be a part of it, but not necessarily, a [leading] part of it’.

Prince Harry is said to be making only a brief visit to the UK for the coronation as he will reportedly skip royal events after the day – including a musical performance on May 7 – to be with his family in America. 

During the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the Duke of Sussex walked alongside brother William who followed behind King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.Â