Key Factor In Meghan Markle's Decision To Skip King Charles' Coronation Revealed

Meghan Markle chose to prioritize her children as Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Harry is set to attend his father King Charles III's coronation without his wife by his side, according to a royal correspondent.

On Wednesday, the palace confirmed the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex's attendance at the historic event on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London. "Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May," its statement read. "The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."

Though Prince Harry and Markle, 41, have not publicly revealed why she won't be joining her husband in London next month, British journalist Omid Scobie reported that it was due to their son Prince Archie's fourth birthday, which falls on the same day as the coronation.

"I understand that Archie's fourth birthday (also on May 6) played a factor in the couple's decision," Scobie tweeted Wednesday night.

While he will be present at the coronation, it was not mentioned whether Prince Harry will attend the other star-studded celebrations surrounding his father and Queen Consort Camilla's crowning ceremony, including the coronation concert on May 7.

But Scobie claimed that the Duke of Sussex has no plans to stay in his home country for the entire coronation celebration, writing: "Expect it to be a fairly quick trip to the U.K. for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey."

International Business Times could not independently verify the claims.

But People also reported that the Duchess of Sussex plans to spend the coronation weekend celebrating Prince Archie's birthday along with her and Prince Harry's daughter, 1-year-old Princess Lilibet, at their Montecito mansion in California.

Prince Archie was born in London on May 6, 2019 — less than a year before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relinquished their roles as senior royals and relocated to California in 2020.

During his first birthday, the Sussex family held a low-key celebration during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They are celebrating as a family focused on Archie and being together," an unnamed source told People at the time, adding that they had a smash cake and chatted with friends and family over Zoom.

His following birthdays were also held privately, and it is presumed that it would be the same this year. His sister Princess Lilibet also had a low-key first birthday celebration at Frogmore Cottage last year when the family traveled to the U.K. for the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee festivities.

When the official date of King Charles' coronation was announced in October 2022, rumors circulated that the decision to hold the ceremony on the same day as his grandchild's birthday was seemingly a "snub" to Prince Harry and Markle, Australia's Sky News reported.

But royal biographer Katie Nicholl debunked this rumor and claimed that it was a "hopefully happy coincidence" without any malice.

"Having the coronation on Archie's birthday is definitely not a snub," Nicholl told the outlet. "Obviously, a huge amount of planning has to go into an important moment in history, such as a coronation, and the royal calendar is full of anniversaries and birthdays."