Prince Harry’s visit to the U.K. forKing Charles' coronation will be a quick trip.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, will be in and out of Great Britain in 24 hours for his father’shistoric crowning ceremonybesideQueen CamillaatWestminster Abbeyon Saturday,The Sunreports. The May 6 coronation day is alsoPrince Archie’s4th birthday, and Harry is reportedly flying back to be there for his son.
“Harry will be in and out of the U.K. in 24 hours,” a source toldThe Sun. “He will only be doing the coronation service, then leaving.”
On April 12, Buckingham PalaceannouncedthatPrince Harrywill support his father at the crowning ceremony while Meghan, 41, remains in California with their two young children.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6thMay. The Duchess of Sussex willremain in Californiawith Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” they said in the statement.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
A source told PEOPLE that Meghan will celebrate Archie with asmall party at home.
Though family tensions eventually led Harry and Meghan to step back from their royal roles in 2020, and relations have remained strained since the release of his memoirSpareover the winter, the Duke of Sussex is thought to attend the coronation out of duty and love for his father.
King Charles and Prince Harry.Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage
“At the end of the day, he’s going to be there for his dad,” a close friendrecently told PEOPLE.
The crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey is poised to be Prince Harry’s first public outing with other members of the royal family following the state funeral ofQueen Elizabethin September, which Meghan also attended. The couple had been in Europe for a series of charitable events when Buckingham Palace announced the Queen died “peacefully” at age 96 atBalmoral Castlein Scotland, hours after her doctors said they were “concerned” for her health.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex extended their trip abroad and remained in the U.K. for thefunerary eventsthat followed, before returning home to California.
Prince Harry later made asurprise solo tripto London in March for court hearings that will determine whether his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers for alleged illegal information gathering goes to trial. PEOPLE understands that hedid not seehis father the King or brotherPrince Williamduring his stay in the U.K.
“Things are strained,” says a palace insider.
King Charles and Prince Harry.DAVID ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!
Prince Harry.DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty
The coronation will be bittersweet forPrince Harry, who, in addition to attending without Meghan, likely has no official role and is not expected to participate in any ofthe other planned events, including a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance. However, a source who knows the royals tells PEOPLE Harry “will happily go along with whatever the plan is” and that his main concern about attending was the issue of his security, which has been addressed.
Whatever happens duringPrince Harry’s upcoming trip to the U.K. — where he will likely stay atFrogmore Cottagefor what could be the last time following King Charles’sdecision to evictHarry and Meghan from their U.K. home — “he will look back on it and think it is better to come and play his part and say, ‘I saw my father crowned,’ " says a source close to the royal household. “And tell his children about it.”
source: people.com
