- By Matt Murphy & Andre Rhoden-Paul
- BBC News
May 6, 2023 at 10:14 am CET
Updated 42 minutes ago
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WATCH: Prince Harry arrives at Westminster Abbey
The Duke of Sussex joined other royals at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of his father, King Charles III.
Prince Harry seemed relaxed when he arrived at the Abbey and was seen chatting to his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
It’s believed to be the first time he’s seen his family since his controversial memoir, Spare.
He arrived in London on Friday but will reportedly return to the US after his son’s birthday ceremony.
Prince Archie has stayed in Los Angeles with his mother, the Duchess of Sussex, where he will celebrate his fourth birthday.
A source told US magazine Page Six that Prince Harry intends to “make every effort to get back in time for Archie’s birthday”.
Entering the abbey, dressed in a morning suit and with medals, the prince appeared relaxed and smiled at the guests as he walked down the abbey’s nave before chatting to several family members.
With a smile on his face, he patted Princess Beatrice’s husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on the back before taking his seat next to Jack Brooksbank – Princess Eugenie’s husband – in the third row. Also in the third row was the Duke of York, Prince Andrew.
He watched the ceremony from behind the King’s sister, Princess Anne, and the Duke of Kent, Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin, standing in the second row in garter robes.
In front of them were the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as the King’s brother, the new Duke of Edinburgh – Prince Edward – and his wife Sophie.
Earlier this year, Prince Harry sat in the second row – directly behind the king – at the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey.
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Prince Harry, third row back right, looks on alongside Princess Eugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank
After landing at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday morning, the prince reportedly stayed the night at Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle – the residence he and Meghan were asked by the king to vacate – on Friday evening.
Last month, Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry would attend the ceremony alone.
Unlike other family members, he doesn’t wear robes or military uniforms — though he served in the army for a decade, including two deployments to Afghanistan.
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Prince Harry arrived at Westminster Abbey in a morning suit with medals
Meghan stays in the US
Relations between Prince Harry and other family members have been strained since the publication of his memoir.
The book vividly revealed arguments and disagreements with relatives, and he has since spoken about feeling “different” from the rest of his family.
Meghan’s decision to turn down the invitation was widely seen as part of these ongoing, unresolved family tensions.
And last month it was revealed that the royal was trying to stop Prince Harry from taking legal action against newspapers over alleged phone hacking.
In testimony revealed by court documents, Prince Harry said he was “called to Buckingham Palace” and told him to drop the cases because of the impact on the family.