The Royal Family was concerned Meghan, Duchess of Sussex would be "booed" by members of the public if she attended her father-in-law's coronation next month, it's been revealed. Earlier today (Wednesday, April 12), Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry would be attending King Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday, May 6 - but said that neither his wife, Meghan, nor their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, would be joining him.
Whilst Buckingham Palace has not given a reason as to why the Duchess and the children will be absent from the proceedings, BBC News' Royal Correspondent Jonny Dymond has said the Royal Family had "genuine concern" for Meghan's safety - and added that Royals feared "if Meghan turned up, she would be booed on the streets".
Appearing on BBC Radio 4's PM show on Wednesday evening, Jonny told host Evan Davis that invitations to the coronation were sent out months ago and that the Royal Family has been waiting to hear from the Sussexes for several weeks. He added that, ultimately, it's likely that the Royal Family see the couple's decision - that Prince Harry will attend alone - as the best possible option at this current time. To get the latest WalesOnline newsletters emailed to you directly for free click here.
Read more: Everything we know so far about King Charles' coronation
Asked if making arrangements for Prince Harry's attendance had been difficult for the Royal Family, Jonny replied: "I'm not sure it's been that difficult, I think it's been a decision for the Sussexes to make and that may have been a sensitive one."
"We understand the invitation went out months ago, a sort of 'Save The Date' 'Will you be coming?' to the whole family; and then the palace was waiting to get word back," he continued. "I think they expected it [Prince Harry's response] a little earlier than they got it, at which point they send out a stiff piece of card with all the names on it - and back comes the result. That is: Harry - but not Meghan and not Archie and not Lillibet. And that is sort of everything that anyone is saying on the record."
Jonny went on to say that whilst part of the reason for the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet's absence could be because the coronation falls on Prince Archie's birthday, he does not believe this is the only reason the Duchess and the children are not going to attend the special event.
Asked if the Royal Family will be pleased that Prince Harry is attending the event alone, Jonny said: "Off the record, someone from the Sussex team told the BBC 'you know, look, the coronation is on the same day as Archie's birthday' - draw your own conclusions there! And you could say, well, you know, fair enough - Meghan is going to choose to be with her son rather than her father-in-law's coronation."
"There will still be considerable attention on Harry - all the body language, does he say hello to his brother? does he sit at the back like he did during the jubilee? But I think, yes, you're absolutely right. There was genuine concern in the palace that if Meghan turned up she would be booed on the streets - a palace official said exactly that to me," he added.
"And that was a concern. I think, yes, [the Royal Family's concerns were] primarily about [Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex] overshadowing the coronation - but also a concern for her and her safety, so that was a big thing.
"I think this is probably what they [the Royal Family] want - which is Prince Harry's in the fold. It is not about the arguments being over between them [Prince Harry and the Royal Family], by no means is that the case, but this event sort of tops out any family quarrels there might be."
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