Prince Harry reportedly heads home to U.S. ‘immediately after’ coronation, makes no balcony appearance
Prince Harry reportedly headed back to the U.S. almost immediately after his father’s coronation ceremony on Saturday.
The Duke of Sussex – whose complicated relationship with the royal family has led some to speculate on whether he would even attend the coronation of King Charles III – showed up by himself at Westminster Abbey in London.
His wife, Meghan Markle, and their two young kids, Archie and Lilibet, stayed home in Southern California to celebrate Archie’s 4th birthday, which just so happened to fall on the same day as the coronation.
After sitting in the third row of pews during the ceremony that saw his father crowned in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 high-profile guests, Harry left the medieval abbey “immediately afterward” for London’s Heathrow airport, where he was expected to fly back to his home in the U.S., the BBC reported.
Harry – whose rocky relationship with the royal family was exacerbated by the release of “Spare,” a 416-page bombshell that chronicles the life of the Duke of Sussex “with raw, unflinching honesty” – was notably absent from the balcony to acknowledge the crowds in London.
British media say he was likely not invited to appear next to other royals on the balcony. The Duke of Sussex, Charles’ youngest son, also didn’t take part in the procession back to Buckingham Palace.
It was the first time Harry was seen in public with the royal family after the publishing of his bestselling memoir.
Written with the help of ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer, Harry appeared to hold nothing back when criticizing members of his own family, exposing his past drug use and highlighting his rivalry with his older brother, the Prince of Wales.
In an interview in early January, Harry said it would be “very sad” if he’s unable to reconcile with his father and older brother – but he considered his family’s relationship strained to the point that his new memoir couldn’t make it any worse.
Joe Navarro, an author and body language expert, told the Daily News that “the optics of where (Harry) sat (during the coronation ceremony) in relation to everyone else (was) unmistakable.”