King Charles’s coronation is one of the biggest royal family events in years, and while it’s being attended by everyone from the First Lady of the United States to American Idol judge Katy Perry, we’ve had our eyes on one person: Prince Harry, 38.
The Duke of Sussex attended the event solo, while his wife, Meghan Markle, 41, stayed back in California to watch over their two kids, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 1. While we were curious where the royal would sit during the ceremony, he ended up in the third row of the Abbey, emphasizing his diminished role, ever since he and Markle stepped down from their senior positions in 2020.
Before and during the ceremony, the Duke of Sussex clearly seemed to be leaning on his cousins, Princess Eugenie, 33, and Princess Beatrice, 34, who he was seen walking beside as he entered Westminster Abbey. He also chatted with his cousins’ husbands, Jack Brooksbank, 37, and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39.
Being seated with his cousins, clearly acted as a marker of Harry’s diminished role within the family. However, it is important to note that Prince Harry has always had a close relationship with Princess Eugenie.
With regard to his body language, expert Darren Stanton (on behalf of Betfair Casino) said, “Harry doesn’t seem fazed by the fact he is on his own, he seems to be quite happy. In fact, he was showing genuine happiness and doesn’t appear to be like a fish out of water or self-conscious at all. Instead, as a solo figure, he is happy to be himself, and in his first appearance at the Coronation he appears content and his body language is confident.”
Many royal followers have been highly anticipating this moment, as noted by Royally Obsessed podcast co-host and expert, Rachel Bowie, who said, “Harry’s seating position was something everyone was questioning—and whether he’d wear military medals. He’s with Jack and Eugenie—and wearing medals!”
So after all the speculation, we see that Prince Harry was seated with family members and he was actually adorned with his military medals. However, we did notice that he wasn’t seated directly behind his brother, Prince William, 40, which may have been purposeful, given their strained relationship in the past few years.
It seems Prince Harry won’t be staying for the entire coronation weekend (he didn’t appear with the family on the royal balcony) and will likely be heading back home to be with his family, given that his son, Prince Archie, celebrated his 4th birthday this weekend. We’ll be paying close attention.