As expected, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been invited to King Charles III’s coronation on May 6. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not yet revealing whether they plan on going. “I can confirm the duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether the duke and duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time,” their spokesperson said in a statement (per CNN).
By not confirming if they’ll be there is throwing a monkey wrench into the planning and creating a headache for the royals. Here are a few ways the Sussexes are causing chaos by not yet sending back their RSVP.
Making demands
Most people believe Meghan and Harry will be at the coronation as they won’t want to miss their chance to be seen at one of the biggest events in royal history. But their choice not to formally accept the invitation yet is causing issues for those planning the ceremony. So what’s the holdup? Well according to several reports, the prince and former Suits star want some demands met in exchange for their attendance.
Prince Harry previously said he wanted an official apology from the family to Meghan for how she was treated over the last few years and then he’ll consider going. That didn’t happen, but now the Sussexes are reportedly giving the family another ultimatum and want to be allowed on the balcony alongside working royals. However, The Sun already reported that “Harry and Meg will not be involved in any family procession or appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony to greet thousands of well-wishers in The Mall.”
One of the fears about having them on the balcony is that the scene could become a circus if members of the public begin to boo the pair as they did outside the church at the late queen’s Platinum Jubilee service.
Handling security
Prince Harry has been very vocal about security concerns whenever he returns to the U.K. Well now officials want to know his travel plans and have given the duke a strict deadline if he does want to be at the coronation.
According to The Telegraph, Harry must “give 28 days notice of his planned trips to the U.K. so that his security requests could be assessed.” The Home Office will then investigate “whether the requested security arrangements [are] necessary.” The prince legal team though feel that the 28-day request “creates uncertainty and could threaten his safety” since each visit would be handled individually.
“It hinders their ability to plan for and manage his security arrangements; may lead to [the duke’s] actual arrangements being inadequate and compromise his ultimate security,” Harry’s lawyers said.
Tense relations with other royals
And there’s also the Sussexes’ frayed relationship with other members of the royal family and how coming face-to-face with them will play out as those tensions could shift focus away from the coronation itself.
Following the release of Meghan and Harry’s docuseries and the duke’s book Spare, Prince William is said to be particularly upset over the numerous claims his brother made about him.
A source told The Daily Beast that William “feels utterly betrayed by Harry. Relations have never been this bad, and he hates him for what he has done to the family in the books and interviews … it’s no secret he would prefer it if Harry wasn’t [at the coronation], or, indeed, never stepped foot in England again.”
