Prince Harry’s quick trip to the UK for his dad’s coronation left some members of the royal family scratching their heads, wondering why he even came in the first place.
According to Vanity Fair, a source close to the royals said that Harry didn’t interact with his estranged relatives outside the ceremony. Even though the working royals were focused on the big event, they couldn’t help but question Harry’s presence. The 38-year-old prince arrived in London on Friday afternoon and left about 24 hours before the celebrations were over.
But it turns out Harry’s speedy exit had more to do with wanting to be home for his son Archie’s fourth birthday party, which happened to fall on the same day as the coronation. Although the source mentioned that the King understood Harry’s reasoning, he was still sad that he couldn’t share this special moment with his youngest son.
Harry was also eager to get back to his wife Meghan, who decided to skip the event in order to “protect her peace.”
Despite the family drama, Harry seemed happy during his father’s crowning at Westminster Abbey. Body language expert Judi James noted that it appeared as if all the past issues that led to Harry’s family estrangement had been momentarily forgotten.
Harry’s relationship with his dad and brother, Prince William, has been strained since he stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Things got even more tense when he and Meghan, 41, spilled the beans on some family secrets in his memoir, “Spare,” and the Netflix series “Harry & Meghan.” But during the coronation, Harry was seen chatting and sitting with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (the daughters of Prince Andrew) and their husbands.
James observed that Harry arrived with a big smile, even cracking a joke about Eugenie’s very pregnant baby bump, making everyone laugh. He happily greeted the clergy before entering the Abbey.
Interestingly, Prince Harry sat in the third row during his father’s ceremony, alongside Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice, and close to Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin Princess Alexandra. Despite being the King’s son, Harry didn’t get a front row seat – those were reserved for working royals like Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton.