King Charles' Coronation Date Falling On Archie's Birthday Not A Dig At Harry, Meghan: Expert

King Charles III's coronation date has nothing to do with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a royal expert says.

On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles' coronation will be held in London on May 6, 2023. It falls on the same day as the fourth birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's eldest child, Archie.

The clash in dates raised eyebrows among royal fans, with some accusing the palace and Prince Harry's father King Charles of taking a dig at the Sussexes amid their rumored royal rift.

British journalist and investigative reporter Tom Bower, however, said this wasn't the case at all.

"Archie's birthday was the last thing they thought about," the author of "Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors" told Page Six. "The date was chosen because it's just before the state opening of Parliament and Charles will want to appear as King with his crown and the whole ceremonial (robes)."

The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event that formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It always includes a speech from the British monarch.

Bower said he believes that the coronation date was chosen carefully based on the events in Britain.

"They looked at what was happening in Britain," he told the outlet. "They didn't look at what was happening in Montecito (where the Sussex family currently reside). The idea that anyone was concerned with that is nonsense."

After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Prince Harry and Markle moved to Montecito, California, where they now live with Archie and their 1-year-old daughter Lilibet.

Vanity Fair royal editor Katie Nicholl, the author of the new royal book "The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown," recently shared a similar take on the King's coronation date.

She shut down rumors that it was a snub aimed at Prince Harry and Markle after some social media users speculated that the date was chosen deliberately so that the couple could not attend the event.

"Having the coronation on Archie's birthday is definitely not a snub. I think it's very much a happy coincidence," Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "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, so I think this is absolutely one of those occasions where it's a coincidence and hopefully a happy coincidence."

King Charles will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London alongside his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, with proceedings due to be overseen by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday.

"The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," the palace stated, before adding that "further details will be announced in due course."