Coronation RSVP Deadline Passes, and Reportedly Still No Word from the Sussexes

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published 8 April 2023

The biggest question surrounding the royal family apparently still remains unanswered: Despite the RSVP deadline for King Charles’ Coronation being last Monday, April 3, as of today, Saturday, April 8, there is apparently still no word from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as to whether they will attend. The Coronation is set for Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London.

The Sussex camp confirmed that Harry and Meghan were indeed invited to the historic occasion and, according to The Mirror, the couple “have not responded to an official invitation by the King, although rumors of their demands to be included on the balcony are said to be ‘wide of the mark,’ according to Palace insiders.”

Marie Claire reported recently that Harry and Meghan’s demands to attend the Coronation included not just a balcony appearance—which we later reported wouldn’t be happening as it will be reserved for working members of the royal family only—but also the inclusion of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and some kind of a nod at a lunch or drinks reception to the fact that May 6 also happens to be Archie’s fourth birthday. No word on whether the couple’s other demands are being met.

The Mirror reports that Palace staff are “none the wiser” as to whether Harry and Meghan will attend, but OK reports that they are leaning toward attending and are having “lengthy discussions with the Palace.”

“There is a time crunch on this, of course,” a source says. “It’s such a historical event and it’s hoped that Harry and Meghan will be there.”

As reported in The Daily Mail, another source says “All families are difficult, but this is no normal family, of course. Harry has a lot of questions about how the event will work.”

We’ll keep you posted, as ever, on what we learn.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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