Operation Harry in a hurry: Duke of Sussex may be whisked into Britain for a 48-hour Coronation visit – but without Meghan Markle
Prince Harry could be whisked in and out of Britain for a 48-hour appearance at King Charles’s Coronation without his wife Meghan, sources said last night.
One working theory, dubbed ‘Harry in a hurry’, is that Meghan will remain behind in California to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday while Harry flies into make a brief appearance at the event on May 6.
It was reported yesterday that both Harry and Meghan would be invited to the ceremony – but it remains unclear whether they will accept in the wake of Harry’s tell-all memoir about Royal infighting.
The report came after the revelation in last week’s Mail on Sunday that the Archbishop of Canterbury had been drawn into discussions about the couple’s invitation to the 90-minute service.
It was suggested that they might accept the invitation if they were given a prominent pew and an undertaking that Harry would not lose his Royal titles.
One working theory, dubbed ‘Harry in a hurry’, is that Meghan will remain behind in California to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday while Harry flies in to make a brief appearance
The monarch has cut the guest list for the Coronation to just over 2,000 people, down from the 8,000 who watched Queen Elizabeth being crowned in 1953
Sources close to the organisers say Charles’s desire to deliver a cut-down and ‘diverse’ Coronation has proved a nightmare for organisers racing against time to complete the arrangements.
The monarch has cut the guest list for the Coronation to just over 2,000 people, down from the 8,000 who watched Queen Elizabeth being crowned in 1953.
However, he has also halved the organisational time from the 16 months it took to prepare for his mother’s service.
Government sources say the next few weeks will be ‘crunch time’ for decisions over how many peers, politicians, diplomats and bishops will be invited. Seventy years ago, they nearly all made the cut.
But the King was advised that the 8,000-strong list was achievable only because a series of temporary structures were added to the abbey.
To do so again would risk damaging the 900-year-old building and take far too long.
The alternative of using the much larger St Paul’s Cathedral would be both a break with tradition and an unwanted reminder of Charles’s marriage to Princess Diana.
Some experts have suggested nearby Westminster Hall could be used as an ‘overflow site’, as with some weddings, with guests watching on screens.
A source said ‘cutting the guest list so radically while also making it more diverse is proving to be a total nightmare’.
In 1953, the guest list included every member of the aristocracy with a hereditary title – there are currently 807 – plus all members of the Privy Council – a total of 741 – and every bishop – they now number over 100 – as well as heads of state and ambassadors from around the world. Seventy years ago, they all brought their spouses, too.
In addition to the bishops, to match the ‘diversity’ requirement, space would also have to be found for representatives from other faiths.
One person involved in the planning said: ‘We need Wembley Stadium, not Westminster Abbey.’
A source said: ‘It would have made more sense to hold the Coronation in the autumn… but Charles was keen to get on with it.’