King Charles's coronation will take place on the birthday of Harry and Meghan's son Archie.
His Majesty's grandson Archie turns four on Saturday, May 6 next year, which is the day he will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. The historic event will also see William and Harry's stepmother, the Queen Consort, be crowned.
More than 2,000 people are set to fill the Abbey to observe the coronation but it's not yet clear whether Harry and Meghan will be among those invited, or whether they will be able to attend since it will be their eldest child’s birthday.
Read more: Prince Harry shares sweet update on Archie, Lilibet and pet dogs during charity video call
Harry has faced difficult times in his relationship with his father, telling US talk show host Oprah Winfrey he felt "really let down" by Charles. He said he had stopped taking his calls in the run-up to the Megxit crisis, and said there was a "lot of hurt".
The duke later lambasted Charles' skills as a father, criticising him for expecting his sons to endure the pressures of royal life, and suggesting his parenting left him with "genetic pain and suffering". Meghan told Oprah that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race.
However, when Archie was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession to receive the title. The duchess also accused an unnamed member of the royal family of making a racist remark about Archie’s skin tone before he was born.
Charles’s accession to the throne means Archie, who lives in California with Harry and Meghan and his one-year-old sister Lilibet, is technically now a prince. But it has not been confirmed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex or Buckingham Palace whether he will use the title of prince or whether Lili will use that of princess.
May 6 was also the wedding anniversary of the late Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, who married in 1960. Margaret divorced her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, in 1978. The King’s grandfather, George VI, had his coronation on May 12 1937.
The ceremony also featured the crowning of Charles’ beloved grandmother Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother. Other famous birthdays on May 6 include former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and actor George Clooney.
The Palace said: "Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023.
"The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside the Queen Consort.
"The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry."
It is understood that the ceremony will include the same core elements of the traditional service, which has retained a similar structure for more than 1,000 years, while also recognising the spirit of our times.
Charles’s coronation is expected to be on a smaller scale and shorter, with suggestions that it could last just one hour rather than over three.
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