Majority want Harry at his father’s coronation, says poll

TWO thirds of the public think the Duke of Sussex should be invited to the King’s coronation, a survey has found.

A majority of people polled believe Prince Harry should attend the ceremony in Westminster Abbey in May, according to an Ipsos survey for the Evening Standard.

However, 30 per cent disagree and think he should stay away after the highly personal and potentially damaging revelations he made about members of his family in his book.

The crowning ceremony will take place on May 6 and will be part of a weekend of celebrations including a procession from the Palace, a day of volunteering for the nation and a concert at Windsor Castle.

The poll of 1,001 people between Jan 18 and 25 found a striking age gap between those who support the Duke’s invitation to his father’s celebrations and those who do not.

Over-55s were almost split in half, with 42 per cent against his attendance and 47 per cent in favour.

On the other hand, three quarters of 18 to 34-year-olds were in favour of the Duke attending, as well as the majority (65 per cent) of 35 to 54-year-olds. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have declined to address the allegations he levelled against other members of the Royal family in his autobiography Spare, but this has not stemmed a decline in public opinion polls.

Last week, an Ipsos Mori poll found that the Prince of Wales’s ratings have plunged eight percentage points since the book’s publication, while the Princess of Wales’s ratings have dropped by seven points.

However, the memoir has had little impact on the reputation of the Royals family overall, with 53 per cent saying they feel favourable towards the Royal family and 51 per cent to the King.

Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos UK, said: “Despite not being as popular as he once was, most Britons still think Harry should be invited to the coronation in May, which suggests some hope for reconciliation.”

The Duke has demanded an apology to Meghan from his family in an interview with Bryony Gordon of The Daily Telegraph, saying: “Because you know what you did, and I now know why you did it. And you’ve been caught out, so just come clean and then we could all move on.”