Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will Be "Minor Figures" With "No Control" If They Attend the Coronation, Historian Says

I know this will shock you, but the first British coronation in over seven decades won't be a play-it-by-ear type of event.

As I'm sure we all expect, it will in fact be a tightly rehearsed choreography, with no room for external input—even if that input comes from family members.

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have yet to confirm whether they will be in attendance at the May 6 event, one royal historian warns that if they did come, they wouldn't get to decide how anything plays out on the day.

"Harry and Meghan will have no control over how this event plays out, the Royal Household will have complete control over this event," Dr. Ed Owens told Express.

"The rehearsal schedule will be extremely intense. Everything will be organized down to the second in terms of how the event is meant to unfold, in terms of the role of the different performers.

"If Harry and Meghan are present on the day, they are going to be minor figures at the fringe of this event."

The Sussexes recently confirmed that they had in fact been invited, with a statement that read, "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."

Elsewhere, it has been reported that the Sussexes are negotiating their terms in order to make a final decision on whether they make the trip to the U.K.

According to sources, they would like for Archie's birthday to be acknowledged in some way since it falls on the day of the coronation; they would like to stay with Princess Eugenie at Frogmore instead of Buckingham Palace; and they would like to be included on the balcony with the rest of the Royal Family.

Somehow, I don't quite see all of that happening, but maybe that's just me.