Planes, trains and automobiles; can Harry attend the coronation of King Charles III AND Archie’s birthday?

Set your stopwatches the moment that you spot Harry, Duke of Sussex in attendance for his father’s coronation in May; you might end up playing an ad-hoc game of Challenge Anneka (for those who remember that of a certain age). As it stands, one of the most important days in world history also happens to correspond with the coronation of King Charles III - that being, the birthday of young Royal Prince Archie, with both taking place on the same day.

But in different timezones, which now begs the question; can Harry actually pull off a Planes, Trains and Automobiles style caper that would see him both attend the coronation now he has officially RSVP’d, and yet make use of the time differences between London and California to make it to his son’s birthday party? He has a distinct advantage over the rest of us; private jets, a private vehicle and not having to rely on public transport nor wait in queues at London Stansted Airport. 

But like the rest of us, Harry will have to contend with a number of road closures in London during the coronation, limiting his accessibility somewhat to get from Westminster Abbey to the airport, and more importantly if the weather conditions on the day provide ideal flying conditions - as he looks to return home to Meghan Markle and his family to celebrate the birthday of his firstborn. 

Fatherhood is a very important part of Harry’s life, as he has previously revealed that he loves being a father. ““I love it,” he told US programme Today in 2022. “I love every part of it. I’ve always wanted to be a dad. I’ve always wanted to have my own kids, and now I got two little people who I’m responsible for.”

So can Harry undertake the taxing yet not impossible task of attending two very important occasions in his family life; the crowning of his father as the new King of England and the Commonwealth, and attending the birthday of one of the most important men in his world - Prince Archie? 

Harry of Sussex’s potential travel itinerary - May 6 2023

Westminster Abbey to London Stansted Airport

King Charles III has already stated that he plans to have an abbreviated coronation as opposed to his mother’s, Queen Elizabeth II, back in 1953. We’ve estimated that with a start time of 11am, taking into account the hour-long ceremony this time around and allowing for some delays in people arriving, that should see the event conclude at around 12:15pm, with an additional 15 minutes for everyone to leave.

At that stage, we would imagine if Harry is to set off to London Stansted Airport that he no doubt will have a private vehicle to transport him directly to a private jet to head over the waters back to the United States. However, with California on the western-most part of the United States, it’s not a simple eight-to-nine-and-a-half hour flight one can take from London to New York.

We would also imagine that unlike the rest of us, security and customs before boarding his flight will be pretty speedy - no having to arrive three hours beforehand to cue up for passport control. We don’t know however if Harry will have the audacity partway through the coronation to drop a text message stating “fuel the jet.” 

It would take, according to Google Maps, an estimated 71 minutes to get from Westminster Abbey to London Stansted - but with road closures due to the coronation processions, we’d say it would perhaps be better to give an extra 20 minutes allowance for traffic. It’s London after all, right?

• UK Time: 11:00am - 1:45pm arrival at Stansted
• LA Time: 3:00am - 5:45am local time

London Stansted Airport to Santa Barbara Airport

According to both Skyscanner and Google Maps, a flight from London to Santa Barbara Airport, the closest airport that allows chartered flights to land, in good travelling conditions can take up to 10 hours 43 minutes. Let’s round that up to an even 11 hours to take into account any issues such as poor weather conditions or any technical issues that need addressing.

That would mean that Harry would arrive at Santa Barbara Airport at 12:45am on Sunday May 7 2023; however, Harry will also be crossing over a number of timezones, with Los Angeles currently eight hours behind us - meaning that although understandably exhausted, he would arrive at the airport at 4:45pm on the same day as Prince Archie’s birthday

• UK Time: 1:45pm - 12:45am May 7 2023
• LA Time: 5:45am - 4:45pm

Santa Barbara Airport to Montecito residence

They say that the trip home always feels a lot quicker than the trip to a destination, though in Harry’s case he can boast that once touching down at Santa Barbara Airport, collecting his belongings and getting a car, it is incredibly quicker.

Santa Barbara Airport boasts that it is only a 15 minute drive from Montecito, where Harry, Meghan and family are currently residing while in the United States. Even if the celebrations were to take place at Tyle Perry’s property, he also happens to live close by in the Montecito area. So adjusting for timing to get sorted, perhaps freshen up a little before walking through the door, we’ve allocated 20 minutes to get off the plane, get into the car and roll on up to his homestead. 

• UK Time 12:45am - 1:05am May 7 2023
• LA Time: 4:45pm - 5:05pm

Conclusion - can Harry make both the coronation and Prince Archie’s birthday? 

It may take a wealth of good fortune and perhaps be a test of Harry's ability to time manage to the limit, but in theory Harry can still make it back for Prince Archie’s birthday with ample time before the day concludes.

What state he will be in however is left to those in attendance or gossip columnists upon “gapping” the coronation though is something we’ll find out in due course. But as Harry insists being a father is the most important thing to him, we can only imagine such a scenario would be meticulously planned out by his team.