Amid all the hullabaloo surrounding Prince Harry's autobiography 'Spare' where he levels multiple allegations against the royal family, Buckingham Palace on Saturday released the details on the impending coronation of King Charles III. By all means, the event will be grand, featuring a royal lunch, musical concert and light show.
At the coronation to be held at Westminster Abbey on May 6, King Charles will be crowned along with the Queen Consort Camilla, in a service full of religious symbolism and pageantry, according to the BBC.
Though the event is the first coronation to be held in 70 years, it will be much shorter, smaller and more diverse than Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. The ceremony is expected to be shorter, smaller and more diverse, as compared to Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.
The event will have a vast guest list, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, besides other senior royals. Members of other European royal families, including Monaco's Prince Albert II and his wife Princess Charlene, have been confirmed to attend.
But, the million dollar question, the one that will steal all the limelight, is whether Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, would attend the event. So far, there is no clue about his presence or absence, from both the Palace sources and Harry himself.
Prince Harry has so far refused to comment on whether he would accept an invitation to the ceremony. In an interview with a UK-based television network, Prince Harry said: "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. But the door is always open. The ball is in their court."
As for the palace, it too has made no mention of anything or the exact number of people invited to the coronation or whether or not Harry and Meghan would be welcome.
Balcony appearance
The highlight of every palace event is the senior royals making an appearance on the traditional Buckingham Palace balcony. But going by local media reports, even if Harry and Meghan do attend the coronation ceremony, they are unlikely to be present on the balcony. For, the Palace might opt to take the 'Jubilee way.'
During the late Queen Elizabeth's jubilee celebration last June, it was decided that only working members of the royal family would take part in the traditional Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.
This left out disgraced Prince Andrew, who is no longer a working royal after his sexual assault scandal, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who resigned as working members of the royal family.
According to royal historian Kate Williams, it would help Charles a lot in terms of his image if Harry and Meghan were there. "It’s particularly going to look bad for him if his son is not there because, of course, Harry still is very high in line to the throne, as are his children," Williams told CNN.
