First day sales for Prince Harry's tell-all memoir 'Spare' topped 1.4 million copies according to publisher Penguin Random House. Video / AP
King Charles III’s coronation is just around the corner, with only 100 days until the big day. What’s more, the soon-to-be King of England reportedly wants his son Prince Harry in attendance, according to People.
While we are yet to hear an official statement from the Palace followingHarry’s explosive memoir Sparehitting shelves and sore spots globally, a source close to the royal family has revealed that Charles wants his youngest son to be there when he is crowned at the Westminster Abbey ceremony on May 6.
Harry, Charles and William pose for photographers during their skiing holiday in March 2002 in Klosters, Switzerland. Photo / Getty Images
“It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it. He would like to have Harry back in the family,” the source says. “If they don’t sort it out, it will always be part of the King’s reign and how he has left his family disjointed. He has had a reputation as a distant parent, and it would be awful for him for that to continue.”
Royal historian Robert Lacey reported: “Quite apart from [Charles’] paternal hope to reunite with his son, one of the jobs of the royal family is showing how to cope with the problems we all have in a human and thoughtful way. What will be a success for the family in the future is not reconciliation necessarily, but mutual acceptance of different ideas and priorities.”
Lacey addressed the tension that separates the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family: “It is almost insulting to ask, ‘When are they going to kiss and make up?’”
Harry told ITV’s Tom Bradby: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.” Photo / AP
“There have been some very grave disagreements between them. But the Platinum Jubilee [in June 2022] and the funerals of the Queen and Prince Philip did demonstrate that they could put personal enmity aside for the sake of the bigger cause,” he points out. “And that is what the coronation will be all about.”
According to a source close to the Palace, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be invited to the coronation. However, a source close to the US-based couple reports that they have not yet received an invitation and that there has been no effort to reconcile.
The source revealed that Harry’s original stance on the matter has not changed. Last month, when he was asked if he would make an appearance at King Charles’ coronation, Harry told ITV’s Tom Bradby: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
However, there still seems to be a long road ahead. “The problem is that [the Sussexes] want a capitulation and apology by the palace, but when ‘recollections vary,’ that’s quite difficult,” adds the insider.
Family tensions cause a lot of uneasiness, however the monarchy’s future must always be prioritised when it comes to the royal family, especially when there is a heavily-felt pressure to modernize in a time where anti-royal sentiment is rife.
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith says that regardless if Harry and Meghan are seen at the coronation ceremony, “The monarchy is bigger than a family argument.”
