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Prince Harry will attend his father's coronation, but his wife Meghan will not
Buckingham Palace says Prince Harry (shown here in January 2020) will attend the coronation service of his father, King Charles III, at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
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Kirsty Wigglesworth
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LONDON — Prince Harry will attend his father's coronation, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday, ending months of speculation about whether the prince would be welcome after leveling charges of racism and media manipulation at the royal family.
His wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain at the couple's home in Southern California with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the palace said. A nearly identical statement from the Sussex's representatives confirmed the news.
The May 6 date of the coronation at Westminster Abbey coincides with their son's birthday.
While the announcement should silence the "will he or won't he" debate in the British media, it won't end the royal soap opera swirling around Harry and Meghan as King Charles III prepares for his coronation.
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When the prince attended the funerals of his grandfather, Prince Philip, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, commentators discussed everything from whether Harry would be allowed to wear his military uniform to exactly where he was seated. And there is always the question of whether he will meet face-to-face with his father and older brother, Prince William.
Britain's King Charles III, from bottom left, Camilla, the-then Queen Consort, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the state funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, London, on Sept. 19, 2022.
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Martin Meissner
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That intrigue will only be heightened after Harry and Meghan stoked their critique of the royal family in a six-part Netflix series about their decision to step back from royal duties three years ago, which was followed by Harry's decision to reveal family secrets in his bestselling memoir Spare.
Harry and Meghan, who is biracial, have alleged she faced racist attitudes from both the palace and the U.K. press. The treatment contributed to their decision to leave the country.
The revelations in Spare, including details of private conversations with his father and brother, Prince William, fanned tensions between Harry and his family that became public when he and his wife moved to North America in 2020.
The book also included allegations that members of the royal family regularly feed the press unflattering information about other members of the House of Windsor in exchange for positive coverage of themselves.
The prince singled out Camilla, the queen consort, accusing her of leaking private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after marrying Charles. Camilla was once reviled for her long-term affair with Charles, which contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to the late Princess Diana, Harry and William's mother.
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The acrimony between Harry and his family once again spilled into public view last month when the Sussexes said that they had been asked to vacate their home in Britain.
Frogmore Cottage, a royal residence on the grounds of Windsor Castle west of London, was the couple's main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Montecito, a wealthy enclave in Southern California.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
Corrected April 11, 2023 at 9:00 PM PDT
A previous version of this story misstated Princess Diana's title as prince.
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