Prince Harry, But Not Meghan Markle, Will Attend King Charles' Coronation
With the celebration just a day away, here are all the must-know details about King Charles' coronation.
After a seven-decade reign over the United Kingdom, on September 8, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. According to Buckingham Palace officials, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Her son, Charles, now known as King Charles III, succeeded his mother to the throne, with his coronation set on May 6. For months the Royal Family has planned out what the event will look like. Here is everything we know about King Charles III's coronation ceremony.
When is King Charles’ coronation ceremony?
The Royal Family took to Twitter to announce the coronation, writing, "The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey." Amidst a long mourning process after a monarch dies, the wait for the coronation is almost over.
What will happen during the coronation ceremony?
According to the Royal Family’s website, the coronation ceremony is "an occasion for pageantry and celebration, but it is also a solemn religious ceremony, and has remained essentially the same over a thousand years. For the last 900 years, the ceremony has taken place at Westminster Abbey, London.” It's likely that we can expect the same celebration will apply to Charles, and, in all regal fashion, he and Queen Consort Camilla will board the Golden Coach and voyage after the coronation ceremony.
Who is expected to attend?
Just about everyone in the Royal Family is invited. Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as Kate Middleton, are expected to attend. Representatives from the House of Parliament, the Church of England, and the United Kingdom, world leaders, and citizens of the Commonwealth are all likely to attend the coronation ceremony.
One major hiccup is the presence of Harry's wife, Meghan Markle. The release of Harry and Meghan's most anticipated and controversial Netflix documentary as well as the release of Harry's memoir Spare, was followed with a lot of coverage regarding the ongoing drama with Buckingham Palace that, despite their fall out, Harry and Meghan were still expected to be invited to the coronation of King Charles.
The couple did receive an invitation, however, only Harry will be attending the coronation. Meghan is reportedly staying home in California with the children and celebrating Prince Archie's birthday.
However, the couple found themselves in a predicament over whether or not they would be attending the ceremony. While Archie's fourth birthday falls at the time of the coronation, according to sources at The Daily Mail, Prince Harry considered how the United Kingdom would react if the couple did or didn't attend and whether or not Meghan would feel excluded. The Royal Family has not commented on the Netflix documentary or Harry's memoir.
In mid-April, it was confirmed that Prince Harry will attend the coronation while neither Meghan nor their children will be there. In a statement, Buckingham Palace announced that "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
Will Camilla also get crowned?
In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles. Although his title was Prince of Wales, she chose to take the title of Duchess of Cornwall due to the late Princess Diana's association with the moniker Princess of Wales. During Charles' coronation ceremony, Camilla was to be officially crowned Queen Consort Camilla. The Royal Family announced on Twitter, "The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort."
However, in recent news, Camilla will be crowned as Queen Camilla. It has been reported by numerous UK media outlets that effective King Charles coronation day, Camila's title change will go into effect and will be deemed as "Queen Camilla." The coronation is expected to take place on a Saturday at London's Westminster Abbey, which has been the location of coronations for the past 900 years.
Who's performing at the Coronation Concert?
A day after the ceremony is the Coronation Concert, an event to celebrate the coronation and the start of the new royal chapter. After months of speculation (and reportedly turned down offers by Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Harry Styles), the lineup has finally been solidified. This year's performers include Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, British pop group Take That, and U.K. talent Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings, and Alexis Ffrench.
The concert will be broadcasted live via BBC while the in-person audience will include more than 20,000 watchers.
