British Royals 'relieved' that Meghan Markle is skipping coronation of King Charles on May 6

Prince Harry, 38, will attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, in London on May 6. His wife, Meghan Markle, will not be in attendance as she will spend the coronation weekend at the couple's California home, celebrating her son Archie's fourth birthday. 

Meghan Markle, 41, the Duchess of Sussex, along with her children, Prince Archie and 22-month-old Princess Lilibet will not be in England to attend the coronation of King Charles. The ceremony is set to take place in Westminster Abbey on May 6, and the date coincides with Prince Archie's birthday. 

Prince Archie and his sister Princess Lilitbet were last seen in the UK at the time of their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. It was the first time that Princess Lilibet visited the UK.

Coronation Invitation

Speculation around Meghan Markle's absence from the coronation

• Meghan Markle's absence from the coronation comes at a time post the release of their Netflix Docuseries Harry & Meghan (released in December 2022), where the two candidly spoke about their decision to step back from their Royal duties.
• Harry and Meghan withdrew from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to the US. 
• In the docuseries, the ex-royals spoke about the harassment and negative media coverage (especially towards the Duchess) that they were subjected to by Britain's news media. 

Take a look at the trailer of the Netflix Docuseries Harry & Meghan:

• Post their withdrawal from royal duties, the couple has still been at the centre of multiple media frenzies. 
• Harry, who published his memoir Spare, spoke about the grievances and bitterness in the British Royal family.
• King Charles's coronation will be the first time that the Duke of Sussex will be seen with the Royal family since his bombshell memoir was published on January 10, 2023. 

Both the Netflix series and the autobiography were critical of the Royal family and offered the details of Duke and Duchess's perspective on them.

Prince Harry's memoir

• In his memoir, Prince Harry outlines his childhood, the profound impact of his mother Princess Diana's death, his troubled teenage years and deployment to Afghanistan with the British army.
• The Duke of Sussex wrote about the growing rift in the Royal family and revealed some family secrets.
• Prince Harry also wrote that he and Prince William begged their father not to marry Camilla.
• He also claims that there was a physical altercation between him and his brother, Prince William, which was sparked when the latter made comments about Meghan.

Some reports suggest that the British Royals are 'relieved' that Meghan will be skipping the coronation, given the circumstances.

King Charles's coronation will be a three-day affair, with concerts and street parties thrown in.

ALSO READ: Harry and Meghan have been kicked out of UK home by King Charles