The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will still be invited to the king’s coronation despite the damaging claims they levelled at the royal family in their Netflix documentary, it has been reported.
Prince Harry and Meghan will have a place at King Charles’ historic ceremony on May 6 if they wish to attend, The Daily Telegraph has said.
Guest lists for the religious affair in Westminster Abbey have yet to be drawn up, but a source told the newspaper: “All members of the family will be welcome.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment. But a source said of the king: “He loves both his sons.”
The Sussexes are understood to have not yet received an invitation.
Both Buckingham and Kensington Palace have remained silent over Prince Harry’s allegations that the Prince of Wales left his brother terrified after screaming and shouting at him during the Sandringham summit.
Prince Harry also claimed in his controversial six-part series that Kensington Palace “lied to protect my brother” when it issued a statement denying a story William had bullied him out of the royal family.
And he accused King Charles of lying at the tense Megxit crisis meeting with the queen in January 2020.
King Charles is said to be hurt by Prince Harry and Meghan’s criticism of the royal family, but has not given up hope of building bridges, the Daily Express newspaper reported.
It added that the king does not want to strip the Sussexes of their titles.
The monarch spent Friday carrying on with his public duties.
He danced with Holocaust survivors including Anne Frank’s stepsister Eva Schloss while visiting a Jewish community centre in north London ahead of Chanukah celebrations.
On Thursday, when the final instalment of the bombshell Netflix series aired, William, Charles, the Queen Consort, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and a host of other royals put on a united front by joining the Princess of Wales at her Christmas carol concert in London.
The May 6 ceremony will see both Prince Charles and Queen Consort Camilla crowned in front of hundreds of guests in the abbey.
The Palace has said the ceremony will be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry” but also “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future”.
Yet May 6 is also the birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan’s son Archie – Charles’s grandson – who will be turning four, posing questions over whether they would be able to attend.
Public relations and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski said the Sussexes were fighting a “visceral emotional war” with the royal family, but the only winners will be Netflix.
He said the documentary – which gave an insight into their luxury Californian lifestyle, battles with the media and travails with the royals in the aftermath of stepping down – was aimed at a US, not UK, audience.
“This is not messaging for the UK, they’ve clearly given that up, this is purely messaging for America who do understand that lifestyle,” Mr Borkowski said.
“This is a war, a visceral emotional war they’re fighting in America and they’re painting the royal family in a way which fits dangerously closely to the narrative of The Crown.”
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The final part of Prince Harry and Meghan's controversial Netflix documentary was released on Thursday morning. Photo: Netflix -
The Sussexes’ six-part show has become the streaming giant’s most-watched documentary in a premiere week. Photo: Netflix -
The Harry & Meghan documentary is a six-part series on Netflix. PA -
The documentary, billed as 'unprecedented and in-depth', is being broadcast exactly three months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. PA -
The duchess appears with a towel wrapped around her hair, appearing to speak into her phone camera, saying: 'H is in London and I’m here.' Photo: Netflix -
Office workers in London watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's controversial documentary. PA -
A woman in London watches the docuseries. AFP -
The couple discuss racism and the breakdown of their parents' marriages during the series. PA -
The six-part series was available to watch from 8am UK time. PA -
New images of Prince Harry and Meghan released by Netflix ahead of the show. AFP -
Netflix showed the first trailer last week, just as Prince Harry's brother William made his first trip to the US as Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, prompting accusations of sabotage. AP -
The couple quit as senior working royals in 2020 in favour of more freedom and the ability to earn their own money in the US. Photo: Netflix
