Prince William and Prince Harry were both at the coronation on May 6 to honor their father, King Charles III, but the siblings didn’t have any interaction during the ceremony. Prince Harry arrived first with other members of the Royal Family, and Prince William played a major role in his father’s coronation ceremony.
Prince Harry was seated in the third row directly behind Princess Anne. Prince William was on the first row to Harry’s far right with Princess Charlotte, Kate Middleton, and Prince Louis. Since he is no longer a working member of the Royal Family, Prince Harry did not have a role in the coronation and wore a morning suit instead of a military uniform.
As Prince Harry looked on, Prince William recited the Homage to Royal Blood and acted as the Stole Royal. Prince William knelt before his father and pledged his loyalty to him. He then gave his father a kiss on the cheek. Prince Harry reportedly left right after the ceremony and did not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with other members of the family. Royal expert Omid Scobie noted that this was always set to be a “very quick trip to London” for Harry. The Duke of Sussex was always planning to return home to California to be with his family and celebrate Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, which is also on May 6.
The relationship between the brothers has been strained for years now, but the tension between them was kicked into another gear following the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, as well as Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries.
Prince Harry alleged that his older brother and future king “knocked me to the floor” during a fight over Meghan. “I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Harry wrote. In the docuseries, Prince Harry claimed that his brother screamed at him during a tense family meeting at Sandringham.
Ahead of the coronation, PEOPLE reported that things were still “strained” between the brothers. They reportedly have also had “no communication” with each other in the months since Harry’s bombshell memoir and docuseries.
The Coronation Service of Their Majesties The King Charles III and The Queen Consort was attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 guests, including Members of the Royal Family, international representatives from over 200 countries, and approximately 100 Heads of State. The hand-painted invitation, which was shared via the Royal’s Instagram, was sent to all guests. Notably absent among the guests were US President Joe Biden, though his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, attended, and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who stayed in America with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
In the official announcement for the King’s coronation made back in October 2022, Buckingham Palace promised that the coronation would “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.” The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the official crowning of Charles with St Edward’s Crown and the crowning of Camila with Queen Mary’s Crown at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6.
