Harry had 'heart to heart' with King Charles over attending Coronation

Prince Harry had a ‘heart to heart’ talk with King Charles before agreeing to attend his Coronation after weeks of ‘transatlantic ping pong’, insiders claim

• The Duke of Sussex had a personal chat with his father before his decision
• Sources say there is desire ‘on both sides’ to heal the rift between father and son
• It follows the announcement Harry will travel to the coronation on May 6 alone

Prince Harry had a ‘heart to heart’ with his father King Charles about his invitation to the Coronation ceremony before agreeing to attend after weeks of talks over the event’s security, it has been claimed.

Sources previously said there were weeks of negotiations, likened to ‘transatlantic ping pong’, between Harry and Buckingham Palace about what role he might play, where he might sit and security arrangements.

But royal insiders have come out on Sunday and claimed Prince Harry readily agreed to attend after a personal chat with the King – and that he wants to ‘show support for his father’.

It was confirmed this week that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation alone, while his wife Meghan stays in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. 

The Coronation, which is just three weeks away, will see both King Charles III and Queen Camilla crowned in front of 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey.

Royal sources claimed overnight that Prince Harry had a ‘heart to heart’ talk with his father and is keen to ‘support him’ on the ceremonial occasion

Both King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be crowned in a ceremony on May 6 in Westminster Abbey

Sources told the Sun on Sunday King Charles is ‘happy’ with his son’s decision and ‘understands’ that Meghan will stay at home with the children because it is Archie’s fourth birthday on the same day as the ceremony.

They added there is a ‘willingness and wanting to mend on both sides’ of the Atlantic – although whether that extends to the ill-feeling between Harry and Prince William is unknown.

The Duke is said to still not have spoken to the Prince of Wales since the release of his tell-all memoir Spare, in which he referred to his elder brother as his ‘arch-nemesis’ and accused him of physically attacking him.

On a visit to Sandhurst on Friday the King expressed his ‘pride’ in his two sons – despite the fact they are not currently on speaking terms.

He told cadets: ‘Speaking as a father of two alumni of this academy who remembers their passing out parades, I know they will be full of immense pride in witnessing you on parade.’

The King is said to want to use the Coronation as an opportunity to heal rifts and bring in family members from the cold, most noticeably in relation to his younger son. 

The atmosphere inside the Palace is ‘generally quite forgiving’ as preparations continue for the big event. 

Although ‘happy’ at Harry’s decision to attend, The King was left ‘disappointed’ that he will not see his daughter-in-law Meghan and grandchildren.

As he has stepped down as a working royal, Prince Harry will not play a role in the Coronation. It is also not anticipated that he will take part in the procession back to Buckingham Palace or partake in other events over the weekend. 

King Charles, pictured with Prince William (centre) and Prince Harry (right) in 2006 is said to ‘understand’ Meghan’s decision to remain in the US due to it being Archie’s fourth birthday on the same day as the ceremony

Harry is said to also want to mark the ‘importance and significance’ of his father’s coronation for the country (Pictured: Charles and Camilla in 2015)

In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry accused his brother William of physically attacking him and of being his ‘arch-nemesis’

Read more: Queen Camilla was ‘hurt’ by Prince Harry’s blistering attack in tell-all memoir Spare in which he branded her a ‘villain’ who was ‘dangerous’, her close friend reveals 

Harry is said to also want to mark the ‘importance and significance’ of his father’s coronation for the country, after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II last September.

Sources also denied reports that Prince Harry had been preoccupied with seating arrangements for the Coronation, instead saying the only conversations between the Palace and the Sussexes was over security plans. 

Publications with links to the Sussexes have suggested that Harry had a list of questions for the Palace about what would happen if he attended and wanted certain ‘assurances’, but did not detail what they might be.

He will be staying at Frogmore Cottage for the final time for his flying visit to the UK and will be just two fields away from Adelaide Cottage, where his brother, wife and three children live. 

Despite Harry’s support for his father, the Coronation is expected to be awkward for the royals due to the deep rifts created by Harry and Meghan’s six-part Netflix docu-series and the Prince’s book.

Prince William is among the family members expected to give the Duke the cold shoulder, and Queen Camilla has also been left ‘hurt’ by the book, which branded her as ‘dangerous’ and a ‘villain’. 

Lady Lansdowne, a long-time friend of the Queen and now an official companion to her, said Camilla was left ‘hurt’ by the accusations, but that she didn’t ‘let it get to her’.

At the time, there was no word on how the new Queen felt but an aide has now told The Sunday Times: ‘It was not stamping of feet or gnashing of teeth – it was much more of an eye-roll response.’ 

However it is reported many family members do not plan on speaking to Prince Harry except to offer the most basic of greetings, with the possible exceptions of long-time allies Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

His wife Meghan Markle will not be the only one watching from home, after it was revealed this week that Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has not been invited to the ceremony.

She is said to be invited to a private reception at Buckingham Palace after the fact, but has not made the cut in the 2,000-strong guestlist, despite her close friendship with the late Queen. 

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