Prince HarryandMeghan Markle’s invitation toKing Charles' coronation didn’t come in the way Harry had hoped.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received an email about the royal event from Charles' office — and not from Harry’s father himself — it became clear that the “sit-down” the prince sought to talk through their issues following the release of his memoirSparewasn’t going to happen, a close friend tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover story.
“They didn’t hear from Charles. Harry wanted to hear from his father directly — it’s always through somebody,” the friend says.
With the coronation just weeks away and the big question of whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend the historic ceremony remaining, the estranged father and son ultimately connected — although not in person — andhad “positive conversations,“a source says.
King Charles and Prince Harry.DAVID ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty
A source who knows the royals tells PEOPLE it would be King Charles' “first wish” for Harry to join them at the coronation.
“Despite the wounds, it’s his son, and I can’t imagine he wouldn’t want him to be there regardless of the hurtful things that have been said,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith adds.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
ForPrince Harry, his solo appearance at the coronation has everything to do with his desire to have, as he has stated, a “family,not an institution.”
“This is about a son showing up for his father rather than the optics of the institution,” the close friend says.
The coronation will be bittersweet forPrince Harry, who, in addition to attending without Meghan, likely has no official role and is not expected to participate in any ofthe other planned events, including a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance. However, a source who knows the royals tells PEOPLE Harry “will happily go along with whatever the plan is” and that his main concern about attending was the issue of his security, which has been addressed.
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WhilePrince Harrysupports his father at the May 6crowning ceremonyin London, Meghan will stay in California with their childrenPrince ArchieandPrincess Lilibet. With Prince Archie’s4th birthdayfalling on the same day as the coronation, the Duchess of Sussex will celebrate their son at home alongside his little sister, Princess Lilibet, 22 months.
“It’s an elegant solution,” Bedell Smith says, adding that Archie’s birthday “gave them a reasonable out for Meghan not to come.” But those closest to the couple know that the media backlash she faced in the U.K. duringQueen Elizabeth’s funeral last year — and in the months since — played a significant role.
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“Meghan wants to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the scrutiny she receives outweighs the support,” the close friend says. “There’s always going to be that other side challenging their reasoning, and who wants to put themselves in that position?”
A palace insider also tells PEOPLE, “It would have been quite significant if Harry hadn’t attended his father’s coronation, but I’m not surprised Meghan isn’t going given the circumstances.”
source: people.com
