ROYAL FAMILY
Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle be included in the coronation procession?
The palace’s coronation rehearsal plans have been leaked.
King Charles III’s coronation plans reveal that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be included in the coronation procession at the upcoming ceremony on May 6.
The subject of whether the king’s youngest son will even come to the coronation has been one of widespread speculation since the Sussexes forfeited their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020 to pursue a life in California.
The procession to be missing the king’s son
Documents now show that King Charles has not penciled in the Sussexes when drawing up the coronation schedule.
The Times of London reported that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be watching the royal procession from the sidelines — if they go at all — rather than be a part of the event.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have not been invited to the coronation.
Also not invited to be part of the procession are Prince Andrew, the king’s brother, and the Duke of York’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
A monarchy shrinking in size?
The event itself will be much smaller than Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, with documents showing the number in the procession will be about a third of the size.
King Charles, who recently spoke about his plans for the future including a “slimmed-down” version of the monarchy by cutting back on members with paid roles, has included only paid, contributing members of the family to walk in the procession.
These decisions are due to the palace’s new way of having “working royals only” make public appearances at events such as the coronation.
The working royals
Working members of the royal family include Prince William and Princess Kate, Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and a handful of other adult royal cousins.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will bring their three children, George and Charlotte, and this time the youngest, Louis, will be in attendance. Louis was too young to be in the procession at his grandmother’s September funeral, but now he is old enough to walk alongside his family.