Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have suffered an “extraordinary miss” with a key decision taken ahead of King Charles’s Coronation, according to a royal expert.
The couple are adopting a mixed approach when it comes to the historic event as Harry will attend while his wife, Meghan, will remain in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
According to royal commentator Race Heydel-Mankoo, the couple have made an error in preventing their children, namely Archie, from attending the event, as they have potentially been denied memories of a lifetime.
He told GB News: “If you remember back to 1953 you’ll remember the wonderful photos of a young Prince Charles as it then was.
The Sussexes have missed a trick with a key Coronation move, according to Rafe Heydel-Mankoo
GB News / PA
“And it’s lovely to have that idea of a next generation. We know that Archie didn’t get an invitation specifically but the Palace were waiting to see if Harry would attend, then accommodation would have been possible.
“But it’s very convenient that it falls on his fourth birthday because it provides the perfect excuse for Meghan not to attend and say that she’s looking after her children in California.
“I wonder what her excuse for not attending would have been if it was taking place in June.
“It’s an extraordinary miss but it is also something else, it’s as if Meghan is trying to equate a child’s fourth birthday with the Coronation.
King Charles is preparing for his CoronationReuters“What could be a better birthday present for Charles’s grandchild than to see his grandparents crowned King?
“And of course, most kids don’t remember their fourth birthday, so I’m sure any parties they’ll have in Montecito will soon be forgotten.”
The news regarding Meghan’s no-show ends months of speculation over whether she will attend the event.
May 6 is Archie’s fourth birthday, and according to sources in the US, are a key reason behind her decision to not join her husband in his trip across the pond.
The Palace said in a brief statement on Wednesday: “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.”
It will be the first time Harry has been pictured with the Windsors since the funeral of his grandmother the late Queen.
The Prince of Wales is likely to only be making a fleeting appearance, and it is unlikely he will don any official uniform or appear alongside his family on the balcony.
He is expected to make a quick exit and fly back to the US to be with Meghan and the children shortly after the event.
Harry made a series of inflammatory remarks about his family in his tell-all book, which was published in January.
Harry criticised Charles’s parenting, said the King was jealous of Meghan and Kate, and accused William of physically attacking him.