Prince Harry and Meghan Markle risk worsening their rift with the royal family if they do not attend his father’s upcoming coronation, according to a PR expert. Despite receiving invitations to the event, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to clarify whether or not they will attend King Charles III’s coronation on May 6.
Edward Coram-James, CEO of Go Up, an international search marketing and digital design firm located in London and Los Angeles, spoke with GB News about the potential consequences of Prince Harry and Meghan’s absence from the historic event. He stated that the couple’s ties with the rest of the royal family would suffer a “fatal, irreversible blow” if they did not attend.
“In a universe in which the damage already caused by the rift is still recoverable from, at least in part, a no-show would be the fatal, irreversible blow, both in the public perception as well, potentially, as within the family itself,” Coram-James told the outlet. “It risks drawing out the conflict over the long term.”
According to the PR expert, Prince Harry and Meghan’s potential absence from King Charles’ coronation will draw “as much, if not more, media attention.” “It would give further oxygen to the rift and allegations that the Sussexes have leveled at the royal family,” Coram-James suggested.
“And the shadow of their absence would loom large over the entire ceremony, risking becoming the elephant in the room and an unwanted sideshow.” The coronation of King Charles falls with Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, sparking speculation that Prince Harry and Markle may choose to stay in California to honor their son’s achievement rather than travel to London for the event at Westminster Abbey.
Archie’s birthday, according to royal expert Charles Rae, could be the Sussexes’ “perfect excuse” not to attend the celebration. “On the same day, it is the fourth birthday of little Archie. So, it may well be that she’ll stay behind and enjoy the celebrations with her son,” Rae said of Markle.
Royal expert and writer Alexander Larman agree with Coram-James on the Sussexes’ coronation choice, having previously stated that Prince Harry’s absence from the event could worsen the family dispute.
“If he [doesn’t] go to the coronation, he’s essentially saying, ‘I am not gonna have any relationship with my family ever again,'” Larman told Us Weekly earlier this week, adding he’d be “amazed” if the Duke of Sussex skips the event.