Prince Harry, Meghan 'Milking' Coronation As They Become 'Increasingly Irrelevant': Royal Commentator

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have received intense backlash after reportedly missing the Monday deadline to RSVP to King Charles III's coronation in May.

Royal commentator Rafe Heydel-Mankoo, an expert in monarchy, protocol, honors and British traditions, slammed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as "rude" for not making clear whether or not they were attending the historic ceremony.

He speculated that the royal couple is using King Charles' invitation to the event as a "publicity ploy" because they are becoming "increasingly irrelevant."

"It's actually, I think, a shameful publicity ploy by the Sussexes, and they're milking this for all it is worth," the royal expert claimed during an interview with GB News. "They know that essentially, with their distance from the royal family, they're becoming increasingly uninteresting to the public at large, increasingly irrelevant. This is a way to keep them in the headlines and on the front pages."

He continued, "It actually makes them seem to be powerful with the royal family seemingly trying to entice them over the pond. But this is really quite narcissistic because, at the end of the day, this is about celebrating the King. All attention must be on the monarchy and on the King."

The "A London Peculiar: The London You Shouldn't Miss" author claimed that the Sussexes not responding to the King's coronation invitation in a timely manner showed "how childish, self-centered and self-obsessed they are."

"It's absolutely rude. This whole entire 'will they or won't they' drama is actually getting really tedious now. That is precisely what the King and the royal family don't need," he claimed. "I think that Harry and Meghan seem to be confusing the coronation with [the TV series] 'Coronation Street.' But this isn't a soap opera. This is a hugely important constitutional and ceremonial event, not just for Britain or the British. People, but for all of the Commonwealth realms, including Australia."

But Heydel-Mankoo said that despite how much drama the Sussexes were creating, it would be worse for King Charles if the pair don't attend his coronation in London on May 6.

Some believe that the royal couple could still attend the event even after missing the RSVP deadline.

Journalist and royal author Christopher Andersen earlier told Fox News Digital that "it's not too late for Harry to put on his big boy pants and go."

Andersen also said he thinks that Prince Harry would want to take his wife along with him if he decides to show up.

"I think if Harry goes, he will want Meghan to attend as well. Going solo might imply that Harry has chosen his family over his wife, and above all else, the Sussexes want to make it clear they are an unbreakable team," the royal expert said.

However, he suggested that if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do attend, they will have to be willing to "stiff-upper-lip it" as they will likely receive a "frosty" reception from the royals during the coronation.