The eyes of the whole world were on this Saturday, May 6th, for the coronation of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla aimed at the United Kingdom. After the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, members of the royal family made their way onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace. All except Prince Harry, who was sidelined on this historic day.
He had made the trip alone, without his wife Meghan Markle. This Saturday, May 6th, after several weeks of hesitation and talk, Prince Harry was actually at the coronation of King Charles III. Arriving at the Abbey with a huge smile alongside his cousin, Princess Beatrice, Prince Harry took his place in the third row, next to Jack Brooksbank, his cousin Eugenie’s husband, and behind his aunt, Princess Anne. A place that says a lot about the state of his relationships with the rest of the royal family.
After the ceremony in Westminster, King Charles III. and Queen Camilla the crowd on the balcony of Buckingham Palace surrounded by their page honours. While Kate Middleton and Prince William, the Welsh couple, were also present to greet the crowd on the balcony and take part in the Royal Air Force flypast, the Duke of Sussex did not join his family. The reason ? He was simply not invited, no longer considered an active member of the royal family as he relinquished his functions within the British Crown.
Prince Harry, who was also stripped of his military titles, was not allowed to appear on the balcony with the rest of his family for Queen Elizabeth II’s anniversary in June 2022.
Prince Harry, pariah of the British monarchy
Since leaving the monarchy three years ago because he was fed up with the treatment of Meghan Markle, the Duke of Sussex has settled in California with his wife and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. On March 7, 2021, an explosive interview with Meghan and Harry was broadcast on American television, which triggered a veritable earthquake in the United Kingdom, in particular because of the Duchess’s allegations of racism.
Harry’s memoir, titled The Substitute, in which he references his family’s exploits, was released in January 2023 and was very poorly received by the Crown, with whom relations are more fragile than ever.