Kate Middleton 'Prevented' Meghan Markle From Attending Coronation, Royal Author Claims

Kate Middleton is allegedly among the reasons Meghan Markle isn't attending her father-in-law King Charles III's coronation, a royal author has claimed.

Buckingham Palace announced this week that Prince Harry will attend his father's crowning ceremony in the U.K. next month but that his wife and their two children — Prince Archie 3, and Princess Lilibet, 1 — will remain in California.

But prominent royal biographer and former BBC journalist Tom Bower claimed during an interview with GB News Thursday that he believed Markle may actually have wanted to be present at the historic event but was blocked from attending by Middleton. International Business Times could not independently verify his claims.

"We must all be grateful that Kate, in the end, I think, prevented Meghan from coming and said she 'wouldn't have her there under any circumstances,'" the author claimed. "And if she [Markle] did come, she'd have to sit at the back."

Bower, who penned the bestselling book "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors," also weighed in on the importance of Prince Harry's presence at his father's coronation.

"I do think that for the royal family, Harry's presence is constitutionally important," he claimed. "God forbid, the Cambridges all died, we'd have King Harry on the throne after Charles, so he's got to be there."

Bower went on to say that he believes Prince Harry will not join the rest of the royals on the balcony at Buckingham Palace on coronation day, despite suggestions Markle's absence would make such a move "easier."

"Well, in theory, yes, but I think in practice, it would be terrible if Charles did that," Bower said. "If he let Harry come on the balcony, he'd also have to have Prince Andrew on the balcony, and to have two renegade princes in front of the public like that would be a very bad start to King Charles' reign."

The investigative reporter noted that the coronation is all about King Charles and what type of king he will be. It's an opportunity for him to give the public an impression of his leadership. Bower believed that Prince Harry should still be at his dad's coronation, but he should be "as invisible as possible."

Meanwhile, Eloise Parker, a New York-based editor and broadcast journalist specializing in entertainment, lifestyle and the British royals, claimed that Markle's absence likely brought some "relief" to the Prince and Princess of Wales.

"I think there's bound to be some relief from William and Kate that Meghan won't be attending the coronation simply because less emphasis is going to be on them, who's looking where, who's lip reading, what's going on between them," Parker told Entertainment Tonight.

She added, "There's such a fever of interest in these relationships and the truth is we're never going to see a 'Real Housewives' moment between these women. Everything is going to be kept firmly under wraps and I think for Kate, the fact that Meghan isn't attending, helps her keep it that way."

King Charles will be crowned alongside his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. The coronation will happen six months after the passing of Charles' mother Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Sept. 8, 2022, at the age of 96.