King Charles III has reportedly asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to broker a deal that will see Prince Harry allowed to attend the coronation of the King, The Mail on Sunday has revealed.
This decision from the King is said to have been met with resistance from Prince William.
Senior sources close to Lambeth Palace have said that Charles wants Justin Welby to come up with a deal with his sons that will give Harry and Meghan permission to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey in May.
Speculation has grown in recent months about whether the pair would attend since they have stepped away from royal duties and especially after the release of Harry’s memoir Spare, containing a series of attacks on the Royal Family’s senior members.
King Charles is reportedly said to believe that the absence of Harry and Meghan at the ceremony would cause a bigger distraction than their presence and so is prepared to try and persuade them to make an appearance.
It’s thought that William is concerned that Harry will stage a ‘stunt’ and overshadow the coronation.
As an inducement to attend, sources say Harry could be guaranteed a high-profile seating position at Westminster Abbey or an informal assurance that he can retain his titles.
Having said this, William is reportedly thought to fear that the visit from his brother could be an opportunity for the limelight to be stolen by, for example, going for a walk in a deprived London borough with his wife, unless Harry’s visit is tightly scripted.
One source told the Mail on Sunday: “The issue of substance is whether they attend the Coronation, and if they do, under what terms and conditions.
“The family is split, and all the indications are that Harry is being advised to agree to nothing at this stage and 'play it long' right up to the last minute, which is making negotiations with him very difficult.
“Harry's camp made clear that the idea that he would just attend the Coronation and behave himself but then be stripped of his titles was a total non-starter.
“While he might decide at some point to discard his titles of his own volition, he objects to the idea of being forcibly stripped of them.
“He resents being lumped together with Andrew in the public mind as the two 'problem Princes', when he considers the circumstances to be totally different.”
Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
A source close to William said they hadn’t been made aware of any such negotiations about the ceremony.
Harry’s representatives were asked to comment but did not respond to the request.
When is King Charles III’s coronation?
The Coronation of the King and Queen Consort will take place from Saturday, May 6 to Monday, May 8 at Westminster Abbey.
The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the ceremony.
According to the palace it will be “a solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry”.
The service will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.
On Sunday, “global music icons and contemporary stars” will play at Windsor Castle for the coronation concert which will be broadcast live on BBC.
Monday is a bank holiday and the day has been set aside for volunteering and is being billed as “the big help out”.
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