They infamously stepped down as senior members of the British royal family in January 2020 and ever since, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship with the monarch has been strained.

So, the question of whether King Charles wants Meghan at his coronation remains.

Moments after the Queen’s death on September 8, 2022, Charles was dubbed the new head of the British royal family and days later, on September 10, 2022, the Privy Council proclaimed him the sovereign.

The clerk of the council said, “Charles III, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of his other realms and territory, King, head of the commonwealth,

defender of the faith, to whom we do acknowledge all faith and obedience with humble affection,

beseeching god by whom kings and queens do reign to bless his majesty with long and happy years to reign over us. God Save the King.”

According to Daily Mail, the new King would break coronation conventions and be significantly different from when his mother was crowned. “The King has stripped back a lot of the Coronation in recognition that the world has changed in the past 70 years,” an insider told Daily Mail. The coronation has been planned for years under the name “Operation Gold Orb.” Now, the news is Meghan is skipping the ceremony.

Why is Meghan Markle not going to King Charles‘ coronation? The official reason is that she will be celebrating Archie’s fourth birthday in California with her children, which falls on the same day. However, it’s likely that she’s not attending due to all the drama that’s been happening between the Sussexes and the Royal Family.

Omid Scobie—who worked with Meghan and Prince Harry for his book about them, Finding Freedom—told UK TV’s This Morning on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, that Markle was only using son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday as an excuse to stay in California, adding that he figured the royal family would be “relieved” she’s not attending, per Page Six.

“I would put it down to the fact that so much of the attention then goes on someone who they would rather the attention didn’t go onto,” he claimed of the duchess. “If you look back at some of Meghan and Harry’s biggest problems, it was all down to the fact that everyone was always talking about them and the attention was on them at times when it shouldn’t have been.” He continued: “People around the Sussexes guided press … that this is very much about Archie’s fourth birthday,” he told the UK Breakfast show. “I disagree with that,” he said.

“At this point, it’s become so personal,” a close friend of the former Royals told People. “Maybe what they wanted wasn’t achieved, but at the end of the day, he’s going there to support his dad.” The outlet reported that Charlies is “pleased” his son will be there, even though his wife won’t be there at all.  The source emphasized that “things are strained” between the family members but Harry  “will happily go along with whatever the plan is” and that his main concern about attending was the issue of his security, which has been addressed. A palace insider also told them what they think Harry will do once he gets back to California, “He will look back on it and think it is better to come and play his part and say, ‘I saw my father crowned,’” says a source close to the royal household. “And tell his children about it.”

Though a source who’s a friend of the Sussexes also said that Meghan wanted to be at the coronation, but certain circumstances impacted the trip. “Meghan wants to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the scrutiny she receives outweighs the support,” the source says. “There’s always going to be that other side challenging their reasoning, and who wants to put themselves in that position?”

Several royal experts put in their two cents as to why Meghan couldn’t come. “It’s an elegant solution,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told PEOPLE. She told the outlet that Archie’s birthday “gave them a reasonable out for Meghan not to come.”

Tessa Dunlop told Us Weekly that Harry’s body language at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was indicative of his reliance of Meghan. “I was watching the body language when he came out of St George’s Chapel when [Queen Elizabeth II] had finally been laid to rest [in September 2022] on the last day of the funeral itself. He was helping Meghan into the car and he just wasn’t a man who was comfortable in his skin,” she continued. “And this time he’s coming over without the support of Meghan.” She continued, “Clearly he does lean on her very heavily. I think clearly, they bonded. They both had painful childhoods [and] took solace in each other’s respective narratives. And he’s coming alone,” she detailed to Us. “That means he’s exposed effectively. He will be made to sit [farther from the royals] at best. So, he will have that feeling of demotion.”

She also echoed the same sentiment of security which was a major issue that was highlighted in Harry and Meghan’s documentary. “An insider tells me that they were a bit concerned about her security and the response [from the public]. They can’t control [what] the public would’ve given her — which would paint Britain in a very bad light too,” she said to Us about how potential protection would have “cost a fortune.”

Dunlop also talked about how there was a double standard when it came to Meghan attending the Coronation. “She would’ve been damned if she did and damned if she didn’t,” the royal expert said. “Harry’s authored [their] history. Meghan’s very much taken a backseat over the last few months. And Harry’s front footed [the narrative].”

A source told Daily Mail in December 2022 that Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are welcome to attend King Charles’s coronation in Westminster Abbey in London because they’re family. “Harry is his son and His Majesty will always love him,” the insider said. “While things are difficult at the moment, the door will always be left ajar.”

According to a source quoted in Us Weekly, Charles was “sad” his daughter-in-law wouldn’t be there. “Charles is sad that Meghan will not be in attendance. Charles was hoping the coronation would be a chance to better connect and maintain healing between them,” a source said, “but is thrilled [Prince] Harry will be in attendance.”

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Source: Tampa Bay Times