Meghan Markle will not be “brave or strong enough” to attend King Charles’ coronation in May.
The claim comes from Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s former butler, who believes the monarch “maintained the moral high ground” by inviting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to the celebration.
“It’s likely to be incredibly awkward for them to attend, especially Meghan,” the 64-year-old recently told Closer Magazine. “Are they ready to face the music?”
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Paul Burrell is adamant that Meghan Markle will not be appearing at King Charles’ upcoming coronation. (TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Burrell suspected that Prince Harry will likely make the trip alone, while the former American actress, 41, stays behind with her two young children, Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Libette, 1. It is noted that the coronation falls on May 6 — the same day as Archie’s birthday.
“I don’t think Megan is brave enough or strong enough to be there — she had to look into the eyes of a family who pushed her under the bus,” Burrell said. “But I think Harry might come alone and he’s probably been told that he won’t be able to be by his side with him if he attends.”
Burrell worked with the late Princess of Wales for more than 10 years until her death in 1997 aged 36. He was previously a personal attendant to Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 aged 96.
Earlier this month, a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that the royal office had been in contact with Harry, 38, about the monarch’s coronation, raising the possibility that the prince would attend the historic ceremony despite tensions within the royal family. Royal family.
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Paul Burrell was Princess Diana’s butler for 10 years. Since her death in 1997, she has spoken about the Princess of Wales and her struggles with royal life. (Photo by Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images)
If the couple attend the coronation at London’s Westminster Abbey, it would be the first meeting between Charles, 74, and his youngest son since Harry deepened the rift within the House of Windsor by revealing family secrets in his best-selling memoir “Spare”.
A spokesman for the couple said Harry had received “email correspondence” from the royal office about the coronation. Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be revealed by us at this time,” the couple’s office said in a statement.
Speculation over whether Harry and Meghan, 41, will be invited to the coronation has been fueled by the release of Harry’s explosive memoirs in January, which contained damning allegations of intrigue behind palace walls.
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King Charles III will be crowned on May 6, which also happens to be Archie’s birthday. (Alastair Grant)
The revelations, including details of private conversations with his father and brother Prince William, fueled tensions between Harry and his family that became public knowledge when he and his wife moved to North America in 2020.
The book also included allegations that members of the royal family regularly feed the press unflattering information about other members of the House of Windsor in exchange for positive coverage for themselves.
The prince singled out his stepmother Camilla, the queen consort, accusing her of leaking private conversations to the media as she tried to restore her image after her marriage to Charles. Camilla was once vilified for her long-term affair with Charles, which contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to Diana, Harry and William’s mother.
The resentment between Harry and his family once again spilled into the public eye, most recently, when the Sussexes acknowledged that they had been asked to leave their home in Britain.
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Prince Harry’s explosive memoir ‘Spare’ has deepened his strained relationship with the British royal family. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor Castle, was the couple’s main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Montecito, a wealthy enclave in Southern California. The Sun newspaper reported that Charles asked them to leave the residence on January 11, the day after Harry’s memoirs were published.
Back in 2019, Burrell told Fox News Digital that before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Diana considered moving across the pond after her divorce from Charles.
“She turned her search to America,” she claimed at the time. “Ironically, we had plans for a house on the west coast of America in Malibu. Once owned by Blake Edwards and [his wife] Julie Andrews. We had the plans for that house and dedicated the rooms to William and Harry and the princess. Me, my wife and the kids would live above the house. So her future was turning towards America.”
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Paul Burrell is seen here with Diana, Princess of Wales during her three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of her campaign to raise awareness of the devastating effects landmines have on people’s lives. The photo was taken on August 10, 1997. He died on August 31 of the same year. (Photo by Kent Gavin/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.