BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could be drawn into the increasingly tense debate over whether estranged Prince Harry should be invited to his father’s impending coronation, with senior Royal insiders arguing that the decision should be 'taken out of the King's hands'.
The so-called 'Churchill precedent' allows the royal family and monarch to avoid having to make the decision of whether or not to invite Harry – who recently released a memoir that has inflamed relations – as well as would create a media circus if his wife Meghan Markle also attends.
The prince, who now resides in Los Angeles, has refused to say whether or not he would attend the ceremony, even when directly asked.
Back in 1953, before the last royal coronation, Prime Minister Winston Churchill made it clear to the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the throne 16 years earlier, that he would not be welcome at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation.
A source told the UK’s Daily Mail on Sunday: 'The Coronation is a State event and funded by the State. So, in the same way that Winston Churchill advised the Duke of Windsor to stay away [from Elizabeth II's Coronation], the decision of whether to invite Harry, who has no official Royal role and no state function at the ceremony, will be down to the Government rather than just his father.'
On the other hand, political insiders say there is no interest in taking the responsibility for the 'Harry hot potato'.
It is learned the Cabinet Office is establishing a 'Coronation committee' of civil servants, Royal officials and Church of England representatives to plan the May 6 event. The Home Office will also be heavily involved in the arrangements.
Key to the current unhappiness is King Charles’ apparent anger at the allegations aired in Harry's memoir, Spare, towards his wife the Queen Consort Camilla.
The prince has said: “She was the villain, she was a third person in the marriage, she needed to rehabilitate her image. There was going to be people or bodies left in the street because of that.”
Harry has also accused Prince William of physically attacking him and claimed that the Palace planted negative stories about Meghan in the media.
Despite these claims, Harry has called for a reconciliation with his family.
Some believe the divisions between both parties will only be healed by a face-to-face meeting. – The Vibes, January 15, 2023
