UPDATE 4/12/23 10:20am ET: The Palace released a statement regarding Harry’s decision hours after this article was published. “Buckingham Palace is delighted to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Less than four weeks after his father’s coronation, Prince Harry has yet to publicly confirm if he will be attending, and that has left organizers of the marquee event “angry” and frustrated, according to a new report.
Although, as reported by The Daily Beast, insiders at the palace are strongly suspecting that Harry and Meghan will show up that day, a source in her camp told the Daily Mirror that the couple have “not made a decision” despite an April 3 deadline for RSVPs .
The couple are said to be close to a decision last week but have not yet confirmed it, although they are reportedly in “email correspondence” with the palace, according to the Mirror.
A source told the Mirror: “They (Harry and Meghan) still haven’t confirmed either. Of course, they are given extra time, but frankly, everyone is upset with them.”
Palace sources told the Mirror they would continue to make plans, assuming the Sussexes will attend “unless otherwise stated”.
A source told the Mirror: “It’s all very hectic, complete chaos to be honest. There’s a plan that’s supposed to be the blueprint for how the day is supposed to go, but things change daily, which causes massive headaches.”
Meanwhile, Robert Jobson, author of a new book about Charles called Our King, told TalkTV: “They got an answer, they missed that deadline. It’s getting a little rude now, to say the least. Either you will support your father in his moment of destiny or you will not. But don’t keep everyone guessing because that then creates all the tabloid speculation which is basically saying it’s all about her and frankly it’s not just about her, it really isn’t.”
There is growing evidence that enthusiasm for the coronation is not igniting the British populace, as the palace compressed the route of the coronation procession to avoid a thin crowd. The route will be 1.3 miles long, a quarter of the distance Queen Elizabeth II walked in 1953.
A sign of trouble ahead could be a column from writer Allison Pearson, who wrote in the normally fiercely loyal Daily Telegraph: “As a monarchist I really want to rejoice in the coronation, but it’s proving to be a struggle… You’re wondering if The Palace is.” worried about low turnout. Certainly some devout Elizabethans I know, who always stood along the Mall waving Union flags for the great occasions, are experiencing the first stirrings of anti-royal sentiment as our new King departs from his mother, who has managed with unimpeachable discretion for 70 years long be a symbol of unity and stability.”
A recent YouGov poll for anti-monarchy advocacy group Republic found that as the date of King Charles’ coronation approaches, just 15 percent of respondents said they were “very interested” in the coronation.