Royal Family Left 'Wondering Why' Prince Harry 'Bothered' Attending King Charles III's Coronation, Spills Source
A real head scratcher. After Prince Harry briefly returned to his homeland to attend King Charles III's coronation only to leave shortly after, his estranged family was left "wondering why Harry bothered to come at all."
According to an insider, members of the royal family remained focused on His Majesty's big ceremony on Saturday, May 6, however, they couldn't help but question what Harry was doing there — considering he didn't speak to his family outside the coronation.
“One makes one’s choices. To be honest there wasn’t much talk of Harry at all. The focus was very much on the occasion," the source close to the family explained to a news publication.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, arrived to London Friday afternoon, May 5, and left nearly 24 hours later — before the celebrations were even over.
Though his quick exit may have had something to do with Harry wanting to make it back home to California in time to celebrate his oldest Archie's 4th birthday — which happened to be on the day of the coronation — it likely also had something to do with his feud with his family.
Charles was "genuinely quite disappointed" that his youngest son didn't stay throughout the celebrations, but he did make it a point to wish his grandson a happy birthday.
OK! learned that during a private lunch after the ceremony, the new monarch toasted to his loved ones, including "those that weren’t there," adding that he wished his youngest grandson a happy birthday "wherever he was."
Meanwhile, Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, was at home this weekend with Archie and their youngest, Lilibet, 1.
- King Charles 'Genuinely Disappointed' After Prince Harry Flees Coronation to Celebrate Archie's Birthday, Source Spills
- King Charles Told Prince Harry He Was 'Too Busy' To See Him During Duke Of Sussex's Recent U.K. Visit, Claims Royal Author
- Prince Harry Kept Royal Family in the Dark About His Coronation Schedule 'Until the Morning of,' Claims Reporter
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Buckingham Palace confirmed last month that the Duchess of Sussex would be skipping the ceremony to look after her brood in the U.S. — but according to a source, there was more than one reason she opted out of the royal occasion.
Noting that the Suits alum wasn't heading over the pond in an attempt to "protect her peace," royal biographer Omid Scobie explained: “She is aware just how much of the spotlight goes on her when she sets even a foot near the story."
“It’s portrayed as intentional. Should she come over and just stand next to her husband, the commentary and the narrative of the day would have been very different," he further pointed out.
Harry and Meghan's fractured relationship with the royals has only worsened since they announced they would be stepping back from their senior royal duties in 2020. Between dragging royal members in interviews and their Netflix series, Harry also didn't mince words when reflecting on his time behind palace walls in his memoir, Spare — giving the family more than enough reason to keep the couple at arms length.
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Vanity Fair spoke to a source about the royal family's confusion.