There's been a lot of speculation surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan's Markle's attendance at King Charles's upcoming coronation — have the Sussexes been invited yet? Do they want to be? And does Charles want the couple there, or will it distract from his big day?
While there's no official confirmation on whether or not Harry and Meghan will make an appearance on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, one thing's for sure: Charles does want his son to be there. According to a source close to the royal household, the new British monarch is hopeful that not only Harry will attend the historic ceremony, but that he will also make amends with the family.
"It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it. He would like to have Harry back in the family," the source told People. "If they don't sort it out, it will always be part of the King's reign and how he has left his family disjointed. He has had a reputation as a distant parent, and it would be awful for him for that to continue."
Meanwhile, royal historian Robert Lacey added, "Quite apart from [Charles'] paternal hope to reunite with his son, one of the jobs of the royal family is showing how to cope with the problems we all have in a human and thoughtful way. What will be a success for the family in the future is not reconciliation necessarily, but mutual acceptance of different ideas and priorities."
The strain between the Sussexes and the rest of the monarchy has only grown larger since the release of Harry's memoir Spare, but despite there being hurt feelings, royal experts are optimistic they can put their differences aside for the coronation. "There have been some very grave disagreements between them. But the Platinum Jubilee [in June 2022] and the funerals of the Queen and Prince Philip did demonstrate that they could put personal enmity aside for the sake of the bigger cause," Lacey pointed out. "And that is what the coronation will be all about."
As for Prince Harry's position on the matter, he told ITV's Tom Bradby last month, "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. 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."
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