Supporting their grandad! Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attended King Charles III’s royal coronation alongside their parents, Prince William and Princess Kate, and older brother Prince George.
Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 5, were spotted outside of Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday, May 6, arriving in the state car before entering the church with William, 40, and Kate, 41. The little ones held hands as they walked into the service and joined their parents in the pews.
Charlotte donned an all-white ensemble with a cape draped over her shoulders. She matched her mother in a floral headpiece by Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen, and both wore their brunette tresses in intricate updos. Louis, meanwhile, dressed in navy blue.
Charles, 74, was flanked by his Pages of Honour — including George, 9 — upon entering the building. George wore a red coat as he held onto the long train of his grandfather’s robe.
While Charles immediately assumed his role as sovereign upon Queen Elizabeth II’s death at age 96 in September 2022, the ceremony — which was overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury — marks the official passing of the torch that comes after several months of mourning.
Ahead of Saturday’s ceremony George, Charlotte and Louis were photographed at Westminster Abbey for a rehearsal of the day’s events. Before the run-through, Charlotte and her little brother’s involvement in the coronation was up in the air.
While William and Kate’s little ones were all present for the big day, Prince Harry made his appearance solo while wife Meghan Markle stayed home in California with their two children, son Archie — whose 4th birthday fell on the same day as the coronation — and daughter Lilibet, 23 months, despite the family of four all being invited to the festivities.
Last month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the king was disappointed the Suits alum, 41, would be skipping the event.
“Charles is sad that Meghan will not be in attendance,” the insider shared. “Charles was hoping the coronation would be a chance to better connect and maintain healing between them.” (The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were still featured in the official coronation souvenir program.)
However, a second source added that Meghan’s decision was not a snub, but simply due to her being a “mom first.”
“As much as Meghan appreciates the invite to the coronation, she wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world,” the insider told Us. “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.”
Harry, for his part, previously expressed some hesitation when it came to joining his family in the U.K. for his father’s ascension.
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” the BetterUp CIO said in a January interview on ITV. “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.”
Harry and Meghan’s relationship with his family has been rocky since the couple stepped down from their positions as senior royals in January 2020 The Archwell cofounders, who tied the knot in May 2018, soon left the U.K. and moved to California to build a life for their family outside of the monarchy.
The Sussexes have since been vocal about the alleged mistreatment they received from The Firm, making numerous allegations against Charles and Wiliam in their 2021 CBS interview, their 2022 Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and in Harry’s debut memoir, Spare, which was released in January. Among the claims are accusations of racism against the family and Harry’s claim that he and the Prince of Wales once got into a physical altercation over his older brother’s criticism of Meghan.
The royals, for their part, have not addressed the allegations.
