bitchy | Prince Harry won’t be invited to the coronation if he talks about Camilla

I mentioned this in this week’s Gossip With Celebitchy podcast, but since King Charles’s coronation date was set this week, there hasn’t been a lot of agita about whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be invited or whether they’ll decide to come. Yes, it’s being discussed among royal reporters, but there’s a real lack of briefing and counter-briefing from the palaces and Montecito. I suspect that the Sussexes are simply waiting to see IF Charles invites them. Just as I suspect that Charles hasn’t made up his mind either way. Well, the Daily Beast’s Royalist column has a lengthy, mean, angry piece about how Charles cannot wait to make a big show of snubbing the Sussexes and refusing to invite them to his big coronation party. Some highlights:

King Charles likely won’t invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to his coronation if Harry damagingly attacks wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, in his forthcoming book, a friend of the new queen has told The Daily Beast.

“Almost everything Charles has done over the past twenty years has, in one way or another, been about getting Camilla accepted by the public,” the friend said, “He loves her. He is incredibly protective of her and he couldn’t do it without her. Even the queen finally accepted that. It is one thing for Harry to attack Charles, he can take it on the chin, but if Harry forces him to choose, by laying into Camilla in his book, I have no doubt he will choose Camilla.”

The palace declined to comment to The Daily Beast for this story. Sources in the palace say simply that the question of the guest list is on the “tbc” pile, pointedly leaving the door open for Harry and Meghan to get the call up—or be excluded.

The Daily Beast understands that there is tremendous nervousness in Charles’ circle about what the book might reveal, not least because a full throated attack on Camilla’s character would be devastating to Charles.

Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals and Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent told The Daily Beast: “There is no doubt that Charles would like Harry and Meghan to be at his coronation. And to be fair to Charles, he has been magnanimous in terms of extending, very publicly, olive branches to the Sussexes, not only in his televised accession address but also putting them front and center at the funeral events. But he does expect respect in return, and a problem is going to arise if, between now and then, Harry repays him by attacking him, Camilla or the institution. He is not going to put up with inaccurate and unfair attacks.

“The queen was ruthless when it came to protecting the institution, and Charles will be too, and we are possibly seeing that in the lack of urgency around naming Archie and Lilibet prince and princess. My understanding is that Charles is not averse to granting them titles, but he expects to see respect from the Sussexes in return. The ball is in the Sussexes’ court. The royals, just like the rest of us, are waiting to see what they will do next.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Tom Sykes – the “Royalist” – goes on to claim that Harry was “infuriated” with the snubs during QEII’s funeral and mourning period, and then Sykes quotes Duncan Lacombe as saying that it’s really about what Harry and Meghan do and say towards William and Kate? Like, the Sussexes should “wish them well” when the Waleses go to Boston. Lacombe also suggests that the excuse Charles could give about NOT inviting the Sussexes is:

“Just to say the coronation is an institutional event, not a family event, and so it is for working royals only. While it will be an extraordinary snub for Harry if he is not invited to support his father on the biggest day of his life, it is equally hard to see how the king can invite him if the backdrop to the coronation is Harry sticking machetes in the backs of Charles and Camilla while promoting in his book. Charles appears to be keeping his powder dry until he sees what they come out with. He has not yet made Harry and Meghan’s children prince and princess, although they are entitled to those titles as a matter of law and precedent. That’s a carrot that could be left out there for years to come. Charles is certainly not rushing to make a declaration one way or another, and he may be taking some comfort from the reports that Harry is desperately trying to rewrite the parts of the book that are most critical about his father.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Literally none of these people can come out and admit that the monarchy doesn’t have any way to control the Sussexes and the British media has no idea what they’re talking about because the Sussexes have so thoroughly cut them out. Again, considering the lack of briefing against the Sussexes right now about the coronation, Charles has just put off the decision indefinitely. What’s really funny is that… remember the Fakakta Jubbly? QEII always made it perfectly clear that the Sussexes were invited, and she even extended an invitation to them in person, requesting that they visit for a few days. Charles can’t be the bigger man here, he can’t just say “of course they’re invited” and let the chips fall where they may.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.