Harry and Meghan have been invited to the King’s coronation, their spokesperson has indicated, despite tensions with Buckingham Palace over bombshell disclosures made by the prince.
However, they declined to immediately reveal if the monarch’s olive branch offer would be taken up by the couple, who have publicly been at loggerheads with the royal household.
The development comes after the Duke of Sussex said he always felt different to the rest of his family – and that his mum felt the same – during a pay-to-view live-streamed conversation with trauma expert and author Dr Gabor Mate.
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What we learnt from Prince Harry’s latest interview
There had been renewed speculation this week about whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would receive an invite to the King’s coronation on 6 May after being asked to “vacate” their UK home.
The request to leave Frogmore Cottage close to Windsor Castle came after the publication of Harry’s autobiography Spare, in which he was scathing of his family, and was seen as a major rebuke by Charles to his son, who moved to the US in 2020.
The couple have also aired their grievances about their alleged treatment in a Netflix series.
But a spokesperson for the Sussexes has now confirmed they have been contacted by the palace about the historic event.
They told The Times: “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.”
The coronation falls on their son Archie’s 4th birthday.
Analysis:
Latest Harry interview ‘felt like watching therapy at £17.99 each’
In his “intimate conversation” with Dr Mate, Harry spoke about the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 when he was aged 12.
He said: “I certainly have felt throughout my life, my younger years, I felt slightly different to the rest of my family.
“I felt strange being in this container, and I know that my mum felt the same so it makes sense to me.
“It didn’t make sense at the time, I felt as though my body was in there, but my head was out and sometimes it was vice versa.”
The duke also said that marijuana had “really helped” him mentally.
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In his controversial ghost-written memoir, Harry admitted to regular drug-taking and laid bare his frustrations with his family.
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He claimed his brother William, now the Prince of Wales, had knocked him to the floor after calling the Duchess of Sussex “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”.
The duke claimed his father, now the King, put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of Meghan and Kate, and that the Queen Consort sacrificed him on “her personal PR altar”.