A Royal Catch-22; can any solution to Harry, Meghan & King's Coronation problem work out for the Sussexes?

It’s little under a month before the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth crown a new King and Queen, and once again the movements of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have come under renewed scrutiny in the ever-changing game of “will they/won’t they” regarding their attendance at the Royal engagement. As reported earlier by Marina Licht, there have been reports that a number of decisions regarding the occasion are on the backburner until an official RSVP has been made by the Sussexes, who have yet to indicate if they will or won’t be in London for the May 6 event. 

Royal Public Relations expert and CEO of Go Up Edward Coram James believes that should Harry not attend, that it would be an “unwise” career move for the Royal member. Speaking to the Daily Express, Corman-James stated “If the Sussexes do no-show, it will put distance between Harry and the concept of Royalty in the public perception.

"And, as the public have thus far tuned into his Podcast, docuseries and book largely due to his royalty, if the public stop thinking of him as Royal, then he loses the one thing that makes him of interest to the major streaming platforms, and thus his newfound career. It would be a very unwise move."

That comment comes despite the fact that despite eschewing the Royal life, there is still an interest in Harry - there always will be, as despite him walking away from Royal duties with Meghan, he is a Windsor. He will always be a Windsor - it’s in his blood. But given the public’s view of the pair, from South Park mocking their loud-and-proud proclamations they want their privacy, to becoming fodder for tabloid press in the United Kingdom. We’ve come to revel in schadenfreude when it comes to the misfortunes of the pair, and apathetic towards their teething problems coming to grips with life outside “the establishment.”

So it does indeed beg the question; whatever scenario we see come May 6 regarding the attendance, none attendance or rumoured partial attendance at the coronation, will it satisfy the court of public opinion? Peopleworld takes a look at what could happen, and the response it could elicit. 

Option 1: both attend the King’s Coronation

The first option and apparently the preferred option for King Charles III and Queen Camilla; that both attend with the younger royals, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. But with that comes the caveat that they would not be able to stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they are not “working royals” - Royal doctrine stipulates that only working royals are entitled to stand on that hallowed ground. 

That situation has been the source of much gossip throughout the media in March 2023, when it was reported that the pair were playing “hardball” with negotiations regarding their attendance. One of the points of contention was their inclusion on the balcony, which they believe despite not being working members of the Royal family are still the blood of the newly crowned King Charles III. Surely he could make some kind of compromise between the attendance of his youngest son and Royal tradition - he’s decided to scale down the length of the coronation in comparison to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.

But that also leaves those on the balcony prone to the court of public opinion; several media commentators have noted that should the pair attend, they may be subject to cat calls and boos from some of those in attendance. Be it royalists, anti-royalists or the general call-and-response nature of crowds booing - once it begins, it’s hard not to get involved, and then much harder to stop. 

There will also no doubt be a discussion of hypocrisy; that the couple are only attending to garner more clout and be seen as still members of the Royal family by proxy, despite not wishing to have anything to do with “the establishment.” So even if they did want to attend, would they wish to contend with being told why they are doing it by the public rather than explaining their reasons? 

Option 2: neither attend the King’s Coronation

The second option is that neither attend, and instead send their well wishes to their father and father-in-law while in the safe confines of their Montecito residence. That would mean that no extra security would be required for the pair during their say in the United Kingdom, it would stop a potential revolving door policy at Frogmore Cottage (we think Eugenie is still there at present) and should the prospect of boos be hurled at them due to their attendance, that circumvents running a historic ceremony. 

But with that comes the deluge of comments that the couple have completely turned their back on the Royal family - a heresy in the view of some members of the public. As mentioned earlier, the idea of the pair completely disowning themselves from Royal engagements could lead to the interest in the couple dwindling. The angle throughout any story involving Harry and Meghan is, sadly, his ties to the royal family and anything seen as disparaging the monarchy could lead to an even steeper decline in their popularity.

That is despite the very pragmatic reasons we’ve given; because pragmatism sadly at times does not gel with the emotions we seem to have reserved specifically for the pair since Meghan married into the Royal family. There already feels like there is a long bubbling under thought process that thanks to Meghan, the Royal family has been fractured. Despite the early-to-mid ‘90s demonstrating fractures among the Royals is not a new thing…

Option 3: only Harry attends the King’s Coronation

Maybe the best compromise for the pair would be the new rumour that Meghan would say at home with birthday boy Prince Archie, who shared the special day with King Charles III’s historic moment, while Harry attends the coronation not as a working Royal, but as a member of the royal family - the youngest son of the new King of England, lest we forget. 

Despite the release of Spare and his media appearances, there is evidence that people are still fond of Harry, and a recent survey demonstrated that he is the second most popular choice to ascend to the throne, falling behind Prince William. But then the optics of that can be problematic should Harry, alone, be spotted at the King’s Coronation. 

That may stir up emotions that Meghan is “too good” to attend an event if she cannot stand on the balcony, or perhaps that the reported “demands” the pair have requested ahead of the RSVPing were not meant, leading to another “poor little rich girl” case for Meghan, despite perhaps that not being the case whatsoever. 

To quote the great philosopher Bartholomew J. Simpsons, it’s a case for the pair almost of “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”