Vanity Fair reports that Prince Harry left the festivities immediately following the ceremony, which matches previous reports that King Charles’ youngest son would not be visiting the UK for long. Earlier this month, Page Six reported that Prince Harry planned to quickly return home in order to celebrate his son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday alongside the rest of his family in California.
Aside from their son’s birthday taking place on the same day as the coronation, a source recently told People that Meghan Markle remained in the States due to continued tension within the family following their Netflix documentary and Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare. “At this point, it’s become so personal,” the source said of Prince Harry’s decision to travel alone. “Maybe what they wanted wasn’t achieved, but at the end of the day, he’s going there to support his dad.”
Meanwhile, royal expert Omid Scobie also believes Archie’s birthday has little to do with Markle’s absence. “She is aware of how sort of much of the spotlight goes on her when she sets even a foot near the story,” Scobie recently told ITV ahead of the ceremony. “It’s often portrayed as intentional that she wants to steal the spotlight, but in this case, should she have simply come over and stood next to her husband?” According to Scobie, Markle’s friends say she’s “protecting her peace.”
