Prince Harry and Meghan Markle risk widening their rift with the royal family if they choose not to attend his father’s upcoming coronation, a PR expert has suggested.
Though they have received their invitations to the ceremony, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not yet confirmed whether or not they will be attending King Charles III’s May 6 coronation.
Edward Coram-James, chief executive of Go Up, an international search marketing and digital design agency based in London and Los Angeles, spoke with GB News about the potential consequences of Prince Harry and Markle skipping the historic celebration.
He claimed that a no-show could result in a “fatal, irreversible blow” to the couple’s relationships with the rest of the royal family.
“In a universe in which the damage already caused by the rift is still recoverable from, at least in part, a no-show would be the fatal, irreversible blow, both in the public perception as well, potentially, as within the family itself,” Coram-James told the outlet. “It risks drawing out the conflict over the long term.”
The PR expert predicted that Prince Harry and Markle’s potential absence from King Charles’ coronation would draw “as much, if not more, media attention.”
“It would give further oxygen to the rift and allegations that the Sussexes have levelled at the royal family,” Coram-James suggested. “And the shadow of their absence would loom large over the entire ceremony, risking becoming the elephant in the room and an unwanted side show.”
King Charles’ coronation falls on the same day as Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, sparking speculation that Prince Harry and Markle may choose to remain in California to celebrate their son’s milestone rather than fly to London for the ceremony to be held at Westminster Abbey.
Royal expert Charles Rae previously told GB News that Archie’s birthday could be the Sussexes’ “perfect excuse” not to attend the event.
“On the same day, it is the fourth birthday of little Archie. So, it may well be that she’ll stay behind and enjoy the celebrations with her son,” Rae said of Markle.
Royal expert and journalist Alexander Larman shares Coram-James’ take on the Sussexes’ coronation decision, previously suggesting that Prince Harry not turning up at the ceremony would only make the family feud worse.
“If he [doesn’t] go to the coronation, he’s essentially saying, ‘I am not gonna have any relationship with my family ever again,’” Larman told Us Weekly earlier this week, adding he’d be “amazed” if the Duke of Sussex skips the event.
However, the author of “The Windsors at War: The King, His Brother and a Family Divided” said he doesn’t think Prince Harry has any “interest whatsoever in reconciling” despite saying he wanted his father and brother back in his life. According to Larman, the Duke of Sussex knew that publishing his tell-all memoir “Spare” would result in lasting estrangement from the royal family.
“To publish a book like ‘Spare‘ with that level of attack on your family is essentially ending any kind of relationship you’re ever going to have,” the royal expert told the outlet.
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