Part of the family! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are included in a picture featured in King Charles III’s official coronation souvenir program.
The snap was taken by photographer Chris Jackson in 2018 as the royal family celebrated Charles’ 70th birthday at Clarence Gardens. “Nice to see this picture I took in 2018 in the Official Coronation Programme,” Jackson wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, April 18.
The photo depicts Princess Kate holding then-infant son Prince Louis, now 4, while standing next to husband Prince William, Harry, 38 and Meghan, 41. Seated on a bench in front of the couples are Kate and William’s two eldest children, Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, and Queen Consort Camilla and Charles, 74. The Archewell cofounders smiled for the picture, which was taken six months after they tied the knot and over one year before they stepped back from their roles as senior royals.
Us Weekly confirmed in March, two months before the king’s coronation, that Harry and Meghan — who share son Prince Archie, 3, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 22 months — had both been invited to attend the event. The palace confirmed on Wednesday, April 12, that Harry will make the trip across the pond for the occasion while his wife will stay home.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th,” a statement read. “The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
Harry’s attendance will mark his first time reuniting with his family since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022. The BetterUp CIO has spoken out against the U.K. media and senior members of the royal family on several occasions since relocating to the United States in 2020, including in the December 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan and in his January tell-all memoir, Spare.
Despite Harry’s estrangement from the royal family amid his public criticism of The Firm, the Duke of Sussex previously expressed willingness to attend his father’s coronation.
“There’s a lot that can happen between then and now,” he said during his January ITV interview. “But, you know, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
The king, for his part, wishes both Meghan and Harry were making the trip to the U.K. for his coronation.
“King Charles is sad Meghan cannot attend but is thrilled Harry will be in attendance,” a source exclusively told Us on Friday, April 14.
Another insider added: “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.”
Although the former Prince of Wales immediately became king after his mother’s death in September 2022, his official coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey the same day as Harry and Meghan’s son Archie’s 4th birthday. A third source told Us that the event falling on the young prince’s special day influenced Meghan’s decision to skip the event.
“As much as Meghan appreciates the invite to the coronation, she wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world,” the insider explained on Thursday, April 13. “Despite being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan is a mom first.”
The source continued: “She feels very grateful to be included in such a special occasion by the royal family and is glad that Harry can go and show support on behalf of their family. But being the same day as Archie’s birthday, unfortunately, she’s just going to have to miss out on this one.”
