Prince Harry’s ‘preoccupation’ with coronation detail reportedly delayed invitation acceptance

It’s claimed Prince Harry’s “preoccupation” with a specific coronation detail reportedly played a part in his invitation acceptance being delayed.  

• The Duke of Sussex allegedly had a lot of “back and forth” with the Palace over what the seating plan for the coronation will look like.
• Prince Harry’s reported desire to know who he and Meghan Markle would be sitting behind and in front of apparently contributed to his delay in accepting.
• This royal news comes as Princess Anne’s futuristic sunglasses keep a unique fashion trend in the family - as a Princess Margaret throwback photo proves! 

With less than a month to go until King Charles’ coronation day and speculation rising over who is invited to King Charles’ coronation and who will be attending, we now have confirmation that Prince Harry will be making the trip over. However, he’ll be doing so alone, with a Buckingham Palace statement announcing that he will be at the ceremony and Meghan Markle will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. This decision which has been dubbed Prince Harry’s “compromise” by some means King Charles sadly won’t get to see his daughter-in-law and Sussex grandchildren over this momentous coronation weekend.

News that Prince Harry will be there came over a month after the Sussexes confirmed they’d received an invitation. Now it’s been alleged that Prince Harry’s “preoccupation” with a coronation detail contributed to the delay in this final attendance announcement. 

According to the Daily Mail, sources have indicated to the publication that Prince Harry was reportedly keen to know the seating plan for the coronation ceremony. This will take place at Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding ceremony was held. 

It’s claimed that the Duke of Sussex was engaged in “transatlantic ping-pong” with London over where he and Meghan would be seated if they attended. Neither Buckingham Palace nor Prince Harry have confirmed the reports, though the Daily Mail claim that multiple sources have suggested there have been “extensive discussions” going on. 

“Harry's side was keen to find out, presumably because they wanted to rubber-stamp it, what the seating plan at the Abbey is. There's been extensive back and forth about who they [the Duke and Duchess of Sussex] would be sitting behind if they came. And who would be behind them,” one source alleged.

They also claimed that Prince Harry was supposedly quite “preoccupied” with this coronation detail in the lead-up to it being confirmed he’d accepted his invitation. Planning for the big day is now well underway and whilst fans won’t know who is sitting where until the ceremony.

However, many will no doubt just be delighted to see Prince Harry reuniting with the immediate and extended Royal Family for this national occasion. The Duke of Sussex's attendance will be the first time he's been seen alongside the wider Royal Family in public since Queen Elizabeth's funeral last year.