By his side! Princess Eugenie acknowledged cousin Prince Harry‘s presence at King Charles III‘s coronation while reflecting on the momentous occasion.
“Yesterday meant so much to me, as I’m sure it did to so many watching. What a magical celebration for The King, The Queen, our country, and the Commonwealth,” the 33-year-old captioned an Instagram slideshow on Sunday, May 7, sharing her favorite snapshots from the historic event. “The day was such a reflection of dedication and service to our country. #coronation.”
The carousel began with a photo of Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla waving to onlookers from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their crowning ceremony on Saturday, May 6. Other images showed the procession through the streets of London.
Eugenie also included two photos of Harry, 38, who stepped down from his senior royal duties with wife Meghan Markle in 2020. He stood behind her and husband Jack Brooksbank in his morning suit in one pic taken from inside Westminster Abbey. The second photo showed him walking in front of Eugenie’s sister, Princess Beatrice, and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Us Weekly confirmed in March that both Harry and Meghan, 41, received email invitations to Charles’ coronation after their ongoing ups and downs with the royal family. One month later, the palace announced that the Duke of Sussex would be attending the ceremony, which took place on son Archie’s 4th birthday. (The couple also share daughter Lilibet, 23 months.)
The Suits alum, meanwhile, did not travel across the pond with her husband. “As much as Meghan appreciates the invite to the coronation, she wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world,” an insider exclusively told Us in April. “Despite being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan is a mom first.”
At the time, a second insider told Us that Charles was “sad” his daughter-in-law wouldn’t be there to witness his big day. “Charles was hoping the coronation would be a chance to better connect and maintain healing between them,” the source explained.
The former military pilot kept his U.K. visit short and sweet. Us confirmed on Friday, May 5, that Harry touched down in London, and he sat with his cousins in the third row of the church for Saturday’s ceremony. Prince William and Princess Kate, for their parts, were seated in the first row.
The brothers — whose relationship has been rocky for several years — appeared to keep their distance before working royals joined the newly crowned king and queen on the palace balcony. Us confirmed that Harry made his way back to Heathrow Airport immediately after the coronation ended.
Despite his tension with other royal relatives, Harry and Eugenie have remained close confidants over the years. When the Spare author returned to the U.K. in April 2021 for grandfather Prince Philip‘s funeral — his first time back overseas since his and Meghan’s exit was made permanent earlier that year — he met his cousin’s then-newborn son, August. (Eugenie is currently pregnant with her and Jack’s second child.)
Prince Andrew‘s daughter has also maintained a strong connection with Meghan. “They’re in regular communication and FaceTime at least once every couple of months with the children,” a source exclusively told Us in December 2022, noting that the women share “an unbreakable bond.”
That same month, Eugenie made a brief cameo in the final episode of the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. The Anti-Slavery Collective cofounder was shown visiting the Sussexes after they moved to the United States in the wake of their royal exit.
