Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit royal duties in 2020. (File)
London:
All eyes today will be on the British royal family as King Charles will be coronated in a grand ceremony. While 100 heads of state and global dignitaries will attend the event, one of the talking points is the absence of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
While Prince Harry, Meghan’s husband and Duke of Sussex, will attend the coronation ceremony today, the Duchess and their children – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will stay back in California, Buckingham Palace announced.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” the palace said in a statement.
Their eldest son Prince Archie, the sixth-in-line to the throne, turns four on the day of the coronation. One of her friend told People magazine that though Meghan Markle wants to support King Charles, she feels that the scrutiny outweights the support.
Meghan’s absence comes amid ongoing tensions between Harry and his father and brother, Prince William.
Harry was publicly seen with Charles and William in September last year, at the funeral of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and have since unleashed a string of barbed attacks on the monarchy.
Harry will not have an official role in the ceremony and will not take part in the procession. It is not clear if he will join the family when they appear on the balcony to greet the crowds later on Saturday.
Charles succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth when she died last September at 74. He will become the oldest British monarch to have the 360-year-old St Edward’s Crown placed on his head as he sits upon a 14th-century throne today at London’s Westminster Abbey.
His second wife Camilla, 75, will also be crowned queen during the two-hour ceremony which, while rooted in history, will attempt to present a forward-looking monarchy and nation.