With Prince Harry’s release of his bombshell memoir, Spare, last month and the upcoming coronation of King Charles in May, the big question of late is whether or not Harry will be invited—or even want to attend—to the ceremony in which the crown will be bestowed upon Charles’ head.
A source talked with People stating that Charles intends on inviting his son, Harry.
“It is such a momentous occasion for Charles, and he would want his son to be at the coronation to witness it,” says the source. “He would like to have Harry back in the family. If they don’t sort it out, it will always be part of the King’s reign and how he has left his family disjointed. He has had a reputation as a distant parent, and it would be awful for him for that to continue.”
Recent reports suggest that Prince William is “most upset” by his portrayal in Harry’s memoir, while Charles wishes things would just “calm down” in time for the coronation.
“William is the one who is most upset and needs time to calm down,” a source told People. “He has been painted as hotheaded and unsympathetic. But I don’t think he will back down — it’s whether they can move beyond it and accept that they view things differently.”
Royal historian Robert Lacey discussed the difficulty for the family to reconcile considering all that has transpired in recent months, involving both the memoir and the Netflix documentary special, Harry & Meghan.
Lacey expresses his thoughts on people wanting so desperately for the royal family to reach out and make things right immediately with Harry and Meghan, saying, “It is almost insulting to ask, ‘When are they going to kiss and make up?’”
“Quite apart from [Charles’] paternal hope to reunite with his son, one of the jobs of the royal family is showing how to cope with the problems we all have in a human and thoughtful way,” Lacey told People. “What will be a success for the family in the future is not reconciliation necessarily, but mutual acceptance of different ideas and priorities.
“There have been some very grave disagreements between them,” he added. “But the Platinum Jubilee [in June 2022] and the funerals of the Queen and Prince Philip did demonstrate that they could put personal enmity aside for the sake of the bigger cause. And that is what the coronation will be all about.”
A source close to the Sussexes also discusses why it may be difficult for reconciliation between them and the royal family.
“The problem is that [the Sussexes] want a capitulation and apology by the palace, but when ‘recollections vary,’ that’s quite difficult.”
The close source confirmed that an invitation has yet to be received by Harry, but other sources still stay confident that one will be sent soon.
Harry has stated his stance on whether he’d want to attend the coronation, most recently in an interview with Tom Bradby of ITV.
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” Harry told Brady. “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.”
In addition, if the family can’t sort out their differences, there are talks about Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, being the one to work things out, seeing as though he was the one who married Harry and Meghan, as well as carrying out the coronation for King Charles.
A close source told People, “If [Welby] could reconcile the family members, that is what he would want to do.”
Despite the accusations and maltreatment Harry has revealed about his family, he is still adamant about rejoicing with them and wants to figure things out for the better, telling Bradby in the same interview on ITV, “I want a family, not an institution.”
“They feel as though it is better to keep us somehow as the villains,” he said, adding, “they have shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.”
And although he has no intention of being a part of the royal aspect of his family, he still longs to rebuild those relationships with them, saying, “I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back.”
Sources:
https://people.com/royals/king-charles-wants-prince-harry-back-family-coronation-source/
https://people.com/royals/prince-harry-addresses-attend-king-charles-coronation-ball-in-their-court/
