The royal family “wondered why Prince Harry bothered to come” to Charles’ coronation

Royal family

by Nikki Cox

May 8, 2023 | 9:51 p.m

Why bother?!

Prince Harry’s brief trip to the United Kingdom for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday left many royals wondering why he was showing up.

A source close to the family said Vanity Fair“One makes one’s choices. To be honest, there wasn’t much talk about Harry at all. A lot of focus was on the occasion.”

In fact, a source told the outlet that Harry, 38, didn’t see or speak to his estranged family outside of the ceremony.

And while the royals remained focused on the big day, the insider noted they were left “wondering why Harry would bother coming at all.”

The Duke of Sussex arrived in London on Friday afternoon and left almost 24 hours later – before the festivities were over.

However, Harry’s quick exit had less to do with his falling out with his family than with his desire to go home for his son Archie’s fourth birthday party – which fell on the same day.

Despite understanding the motive for his Irish farewell, the source told the outlet that Charles was “sad” that he couldn’t share such an important moment with his youngest son.

Harry also seemed eager to get home with his wife, Meghan Markle, who missed the event to “protect her peace.”

Instead, she spent the next day hiking in Los Angeles, and kept her husband in her thoughts by wearing one of Princess Diana’s watches.

Despite only being in England for 28 hours, the duke made the most of his stay, appearing “delighted to the point of vanity” during his father’s coronation in Westminster Abbey.

“[It’s] As if none of the events of the past two years had ever happened.” Body language expert Judy James Page Six said.

For more Page Six you’ll love…

Harry has been on thin ice with his father and brother, Prince William, since he stepped down from his royal duties in 2020. He seemed to make matters worse when he and Markle, 41, aired the family’s dirty laundry in his memoir, “Spare,” and the Netflix series, “Harry and Meghan.”

But, despite the drama — and disregard for his seating arrangement — the 38-year-old found solace in cousins ​​Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice and their husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Eduardo Mozzi.

“Harry arrived laughing and joking, even performing a mime pointing to Eugenie’s heavily pregnant baby bump and making them all laugh,” James said, noting that despite going in alone he wasn’t “alone”.

“Harry greeted the clergy warmly and adopted an upbeat, slightly rolling gait and wide stride to indicate breezy cheerfulness.”