Cheerio! Prince Harry arrived in London on Friday, May 5, ahead of father King Charles III’s official coronation.
Us Weekly can confirm that the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex’s commercial flight landed in England’s capital city on Friday, one day before Charles’ ceremony.
His Majesty, 74, immediately assumed the British throne in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96. Charles will be crowned as the country’s sovereign during a historic service on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey.
While many of the king’s royal relatives eagerly accepted their coronation invitations, Harry was initially unsure about showing up for the festivities given their estrangement. (Charles and the Spare author have been at odds since 2020, when Harry and wife Meghan Markle took a step back from their duties as senior working royals.)
“There’s a lot that can happen between now and then,” Harry confessed during his January ITV interview with Tom Bradby. “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.”
He added: “I want a family, not an institution. … They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile. I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother, [Prince William], back. It never needed to be this way. The leaking and the planting … They feel as though it’s better to keep us, somehow, as the villains.”
Us confirmed in March that invitations were extended to both Harry and the Suits alum, 41, for the coronation. Buckingham Palace announced last month that the Invictus Games founder would attend solo, while Meghan would remain at home in California with their children: Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 23 months. (The coronation falls on Archie’s 4th birthday.)
“As much as Meghan appreciates the invite to the coronation, she wouldn’t miss her son’s birthday for the world. Despite being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan is a mom first,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “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.”
When Harry steps out at Charles’ ceremony on Saturday, he is unlikely to have a specific role. According to royal expert Gareth Russell, the palace made that decision to avoid complicating matters further “simply because the royals are hoping that they can draw a line under the recent controversy with the Duke of Sussex.”
Amid his family drama, Harry has been outspoken about his challenges with the monarchy and royal protocol not only in his memoir, but also in the couple’s Harry & Meghan docuseries. While the former Prince of Wales never publicly addressed his youngest son’s complaints, a source told Us in April that Charles is “thrilled” that Harry — with whom he’s had somewhat regular contact recently, according to royal reporter Omid Scobie — will be attending the service.
