Prince Harry Wasn’t on the Buckingham Palace Balcony, But Reportedly Got A Special Invitation Extended

Prince Harry alongside cousins at Coronation ceremony — (Image credit: Getty)

Though he did not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony (as was expected, as this was reserved for working royals only), Prince Harry appeared in good spirits as he arrived at his father King Charles’ Coronation at Westminster Abbey flanked by cousins Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Zara Tindall.

Though tensions have famously run high between Harry and the rest of the royal family for years—and especially after the release of his memoir, Spare, earlier this year—at least to the naked eye, it appeared as though Harry was accepted into the fold. He sat on the third row alongside his cousins and, according to The Mirror, was even invited to a post-ceremony lunch at Buckingham Palace.

Whether he will attend the lunch, though, is unclear—apparently Harry flew in commercial just yesterday and plans to leave almost immediately after the Coronation to head home to California and his family: wife Meghan Markle, daughter Princess Lilibet, and son Prince Archie, who is celebrating his fourth birthday today.

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As to Harry’s seating arrangement at the Abbey, a source tells The Sun that “there were discussions that the seating could be arranged on line of succession. But that would have put fifth-in-line Harry front and center—and with William and Kate. Instead, the decision was working royals only at the front and work back from there.”

In addition to not appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony—limited to working royals only—Harry was also banned from wearing ceremonial robes and did not take part in either of the processions to and from the Abbey, nor did any other non-working royals, The Mirror reports.

This is believed to be the first time Harry has interfaced with the majority of the royal family since the release of Spare.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.