Sussexes coy over attending Coronation
Sussexes have been in touch with the King’s office over whether they will attend ceremony
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in “email correspondence” with the King’s office about whether they will attend the Coronation in May. After the publication of the Duke’s controversial memoir, Spare, it has been unclear whether the pair would attend the ceremony. A spokesman for the Sussexes said they would not yet be revealing whether a decision had been made on the matter, but that the couple had been in touch with the King’s Office.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not yet decided whether they will be at the Coronation, despite receiving confirmation from Buckingham Palace that they will be invited, The Daily Telegraph understands.
The couple, who have barely been in touch with senior members of the Royal family in recent months, are still considering their options about whether to travel to London for the ceremony on May 6.
They could attend the Coronation together, Prince Harry could attend alone or they may decide to remain in California to be with their son, Archie, as he celebrates his fourth birthday on the same day.
The Telegraph has previously reported that the Duke was in a “predicament” over whether to attend, aware that it will be the most important day of his father’s life.
It comes after a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed that they had been in “email correspondence” with the King’s office over the event.
The spokesperson said: “I can confirm the Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the Coronation.
“An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time.”
The Coronation of the King and Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
It is not thought that Archie and his sister, one-year-old Lilibet, will travel to London from California for the ceremony.
Royal sources have not included the children in any discussions about who will be in attendance on the day.
The Coronation will be a state occasion, meaning the guest list is controlled by the Government.
As well as members of the Royal family, the Prime Minister will attend, along with other heads of state and royals from around the world.
More than 8,000 guests attended the ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II, but plans for this year’s event are believed to be smaller than previous ceremonies.
The usual capacity of Westminster Abbey is around 2,200, and there will be no scaffolding erected this time to accommodate the huge number of guests invited to the event in 1953.
Members of the House of Lords were said to be in uproar last month after learning that only a minority would be invited, The Telegraph reported.
Peers had been lobbying the Cabinet Office to argue for their case for an invitation.
The final decision on which peers and MPS to invite rests with the Cabinet Office, which is keen to ensure representation from all parties, geographical locations, ages and backgrounds.
One Conservative peer told The Telegraph that there would be “a lot of disappointed people”.
“People start contacting the Cabinet Office saying they hope they’ll be invited. There’s a lot of lobbying that goes on,” they said.