Prince Harry to be seated '10 rows' behind the Royal Family at King Charles III's coronation

Prince Harry will reportedly be sitting ten rows behind the senior royals at his father's coronation

Prince Harry
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Prince Harry will reportedly be seated ten rows back at King Charles III's upcoming coronation but, according to a former royal butler, Harry won't mind as 'he doesn't want to spend much time around' his family anyway.  


While royal fans wait in anticipation to finally see Prince Harry amongst the other members of his family for the first time since the Queen's state funeral last September, a former royal butler has warned that he may be difficult to spot thanks to the coronation seating plan.

According to former royal butler Paul Burrell, Prince Harry will be sat ten rows back from the senior members of the royal family, his place allowing for a speedy exit as he plans to dash off as soon as King Charles' coronation ceremony is over so he can jet back off to the US and spend time with his son, Archie, on his birthday which falls on the same day as King Charles III's coronation celebrations. 

Burrell says the Duke of Sussex likely will not have the opportunity to speak to or even see his father the King or his brother Prince William during his flying visit next month, telling GB News, "He will not even see his brother or his father in that time. He will be in and out in a flash." 

He also added that, while Prince Harry's coronation attendance may have sowed the seeds for possible peace talks, in his opinion, there is 'no chance' of a family reconciliation following the fallout from his bombshell memoir Spare earlier this year. "'There is no chance of a reconciliation anytime soon, I'm afraid," he told GB News, "I think he will get a very icy reception from the Windsors."

Prince William, Prince Harry and King Charles

(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Burrell believes that the Duke won't mind sitting away from other royals all that much as ''he doesn't want to spend much time around them," he told GB News.

He added, "It is not a surprise. He is coming to show face. He is coming to put his foot in the door. He is coming because his father wants him to be there."

"His father will be delighted that both his sons will be there to witness this incredible day in his life. But Harry is not going to hang around."

Buckingham Palace announced last week that they were "pleased" to confirm Prince Harry’s coronation attendance, but added the bittersweet caveat that his wife Meghan Markle would be staying in California with the couple's two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince William, Prince Harry and King Charles

(Image credit: DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

While the exact reason for Meghan's decision to ditch the celebrations has not been revealed, a whole host of rumors have been spread since the announcement. The most recent speculation centers around a letter Meghan reportedly sent to the King following her and Harry's bombshell Oprah interview in which she spoke to him about racism and 'unconscious bias' inside the Royal Family. The King's alleged 'unsatisfactory response' to this letter has been cited as the reason why Meghan will not be attending the celebrations. 

The Duchess of Sussex quickly shut down these accusations, calling them 'false' and 'frankly ridiculous' in a statement released by Sussex insider and royal expert Omid Scobie.

Writing from his Twitter account, Omid Scobie posted the statement from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex which read, "The Duchess of Sussex is going about her life in the present, not thinking about correspondence from two years ago related to conversations from four years ago."

"Any suggestion otherwise is false and frankly ridiculous. We encourage tabloid media and various other royal correspondents to stop exhausting the circus that they alone are creating."

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Freelance news writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with Good To, BBC Good Food and The Independent.