The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly received their invitation to the King and Queen Consort’s coronation this May via “email correspondence”.
Speculation over whether the couple would be invited to the ceremony after King Charles III requested they vacate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, has increased over the past week.
However, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has reportedly confirmed that they “recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation”.
The spokesperson told The Times: “An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time.”
It comes after Harry sat down with trauma expert and author Gabor Mate for a new interview on Saturday evening (4 March) to speak about his memoir, Spare.
During the interview about grief and living with loss, Harry said he experienced a lack of physical affection throughout his childhood and that he “always felt slightly different” from the rest of the royal family, adding that his late mother Diana felt the same.
The prince also spoke candidly about using marijuana and psychedelics to help him deal with trauma in his life.
He said that while cocaine “didn’t do anything” for him, marijuana and psychedelics like ayahuasca brought him “a sense of relaxation, release, comfort” and became “one of the fundamental parts of my life that changed me and helped me deal with the traumas and pains of the past”.
The Sussexes confirmed earlier this week that they received a request to vacate Frogmore Cottage, with sources claiming that they were “stunned” by the King’s reported decision to offer the keys to their former home to the Duke of York instead.
However, other sources said they were “not fighting” the eviction and are making arrangements to ship their remaining belongings to their mansion in California, where they currently reside with their children, Archie and Lilibet.
The cottage has royal links going back to the 17th century
(PA)
A source said: “They have a roof over their heads. They were very privileged to have a second residence. It’s not going to work out for them here, and that’s OK.”
However, without Frogmore Cottage to stay in while visiting the UK, the couple may face further difficulties in deciding whether or not to come for the coronation. It has also been said that Harry is seeking an “apology” from the King and the Prince of Wales before he makes any commitment to the ceremony.
In addition, the coronation falls on 6 May, which is Archie’s fourth birthday.
On Sunday morning (5 March), it was reported that the King may offer a suite of rooms in Buckingham Palace that previously belonged to Prince Andrew to the Sussexes, so that they have accommodation in the UK when they visit the country.
The Mail on Sunday quoted a source as saying that although the King is “furious” with Harry for the revelations in Spare about the royal family, he is “not a bad man” and does not wish to “deprive the Sussexes of a base in the UK”.
“London is a better fit. The Sussexes have always wanted rooms at Buckingham Palace,” the source claimed. “They could have Andrew’s old rooms there, which are currently being vacated.”
The King reportedly told Andrew earlier this year that he could no longer use his suite of rooms at the palace as it undergoes renovation.
The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace and the Sussexes’ spokesperson for comment.