Meghan Markle 'Doesn't Want To Be Booed' At King Charles Coronation, Skips Event: TV Host

Meghan Markle decided not to attend King Charles III's upcoming coronation alongside her husband Prince Harry due to a potentially frosty reception from the British public, a TV host has claimed.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Wednesday that the Duke of Sussex will join his family at his father's coronation in the U.K. next month but that his wife will remain in California with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

New Zealand-born British journalist and GB News presenter Dan Wootton weighed in on Markle's decision to skip the historic ceremony. In his opinion, the Duchess of Sussex wanted to avoid public humiliation. International Business Times could not independently verify his claims.

"She doesn't want to be booed. The reality is, if she had attended the coronation, she would have been booed," Wootton claimed on GB News. "The British public was going to boo her, and Meghan knew that, and she didn't want to put herself through that."

The "Dan Wootton Tonight" host went on to suggest that if Markle knew she would receive a warm welcome from Brits, the former actress would likely join her husband in London.

"Mark my words, if Meghan thought there was any way she could attend the coronation and be welcomed with rapturous applause by the British public, she would be here," he claimed. "She knows that her career hinges on a proximity to the royal family and that's how she gets those big bucks with deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify. But Meghan couldn't take the risk given how the British public would feel about her."

Wootton also claimed that Prince Harry's surprise appearance in the U.K. a few weeks ago was meant to "test the waters" on the royal couple's popularity among British citizens.

Despite not being required to attend, the Duke of Sussex showed up in a London court in late March for the preliminary hearing of the privacy lawsuit he and several other celebrities filed against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

Wootton believed that the reaction Prince Harry's solo appearance got from locals likely led to the couple realizing that "Meghan is the real lightning rod for some of that dislike among members of the public."

In June 2022, Prince Harry and Markle were reportedly booed when they joined the rest of the royal family for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Thanksgiving Service for Her Majesty at St. Paul's Cathedral marked the Sussexes' first joint public royal engagement in the U.K. since stepping back from royal duties and moving to California in 2020.

A video published by various outlets, including Page Six, showed Prince Harry and Markle being greeted with both boos and cheers at the church service. However, the BBC noted that the odd boo from the crowd sat among plenty of cheering, and there was no real hostility toward the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

"Harry and Meghan were just booed at the Queen's Jubilee. This was well deserved. They are disgusting," one Twitter user opined at the time. Another tweeted. "Harry and Meghan's actions have consequences as they do for all of us: 'B list.'"