Meghan Markle Was Reportedly "Upset" That Her Children Were Excluded From Coronation Plans: Insiders

It played a part in her staying back in California.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
(Image credit: Samir Hussein / WireImage for Getty Images)

Meghan Markle was reportedly "upset" that her children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were not included in the coronation. As far as we know, they weren't invited—let alone factored into the procession and the like.

While this might have heavily influenced the Duchess of Sussex' decision to stay back in California while Prince Harry attends the coronation, insiders think she was probably never going to go.

"The truth of the matter is the duchess was never likely to attend the coronation," one royal source told the Mirror.

"The mood from California was that she felt increasingly put in an impossible position and there’s a fair sense of relief that the situation is resolved after so much speculation and uncertainty.

"It is one thing to attend the late Queen’s funeral out of respect for Her Majesty but another thing entirely to attend the start of a new reign."

One source understood why Meghan had made the decision she did. "She is very much damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t," they said.

"As a mother she’s probably doing the right thing by her young children, which should be applauded."

Not to mention that the coronation falls on the day of Archie's fourth birthday, on May 6, which Prince Harry will sadly miss as he attends his father's big day.

Still, royal expert Jennie Bond previously praised the Sussexes' attendance decision, saying, "Now that we know that he's coming, I'm very glad that he is coming to what is probably the most important day in his father's life—it would have been churlish not to do so.

"I think this was always the best compromise, particularly given Archie's fourth birthday, that he should come and Meghan should not."

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.