- The Duchess’ letter was reportedly sent in response to a letter from King Charles himself
- It is understood that the coronation correspondence made no reference to Archie or Lillibet
The Duchess of Sussex said the suggestion she lost the coronation because of a letter she sent to King Charles about racism and “unconscious prejudice” within the royal family is “frankly absurd”.
On Friday, it was reported that Meghan Markle wrote to King Charles following Oprah’s surprise interview, which is She reportedly named the person accused of speculating about the skin color of her unborn son, Archie.
It is understood to have been sent in response to a letter from the monarch – the only senior member of the family to contact the Duchess after Meghan and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
A source told The Daily Telegraph that the Duchess would not attend the coronation on 6 May because she had received an unsatisfactory response from the King.
But Sussex insider Omid Scobie released a statement from the Sussex team, which said in response to the reports, that it was “wrong” and “frankly ridiculous”.
Omid Scobie wrote from his Twitter account, the statement from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
It read: “The Duchess of Sussex is about her life in the present, not thinking of correspondence from two years ago in relation to conversations from four years ago.
Any suggestion otherwise is downright wrong and ludicrous.
“We encourage the tabloid media and the various other royal correspondents to stop exhausting the circuses they create on their own.”
Previous reports have said that Buckingham Palace is also aware of the Sussexes’ frustration that initial correspondence about the coronation made no mention of their children.
Harry will attend the celebration on May 6 alone, while Meghan will take care of Prince Archie on his fourth birthday and Princess Lilibet in California.
A royal insider noted that although the tone was warm, it did not ease the tension between the two sides.
Relations continued to sour after the Sussex stared in a six-part Netflix docuseries and published Harry’s revealing memoir, Spare.
Charles, who at the time was Prince of Wales, was said to be disappointed that Meghan and Harry felt the need to make such damaging allegations public.
He recently backed a research project on the monarch’s historical links to the transatlantic slave trade, having previously expressed “personal grief”.
MailOnline contacted the Sussexes for comment but received no response, instead the pair issued the statement through Scobie.
Prince Harry has touched upon unconscious bias in the past. In January this year, he spoke to Tom Bradby on ITV to promote his memoirs.
“In an Oprah interview you accused your family members of being racist,” the presenter said, to which Harry replied, “No I didn’t,” adding, “The British press reported it.”
After Bradby said the Duchess had claimed disturbing comments had been made about Archie’s skin colour, Harry said: “There was – there was concern about his skin colour.”
Asked if he would call it racist, the duke said: “I wouldn’t, because I didn’t live within that family.”
“The difference between racism and unconscious bias are two different things,” he continued.
But once that is acknowledged, or indicated to you as an individual, or as an organization, that you have an unintended bias, so you have the opportunity to learn and grow from that so that you can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
It was also reported that Prince Harry was “desperate” to be at the coronation to publicly support his father because he is “sick for home”.
the sun He also reported on Friday that although the duke made repeated attempts to contact the king to discuss plans during his time back in London, his father was only able to write in time for one conversation.
It is understood Harry was “missing the British aspects of life” and “may start spending more time” in the UK.
A source told the newspaper: “Harry was desperate to return to the coronation and spend quality time with his family.”
Buckingham Palace revealed on April 14 that Prince Harry will attend the monarch’s coronation in London next month alone, with the Duchess of Sussex staying in California with their children.
But the Duchess will stay at home at the couple’s home in Montecito with one-year-old Lilibet Archie, whose fourth birthday is on the same day as the party.
The couple’s friend Omid Scobie confirmed Archie’s birthdayplayed a factor in the couple’s decision” and predicted it would be a “fairly quick trip back to the UK” for Harry. The Duke will only attend the ceremony itself, which will likely last a few hours.
The announcement came after just over three weeks until the event, and a royal observer told MailOnline: ‘Charles will be thrilled. The rest of the family will be relieved that Meghan won’t be there – it would have been particularly uncomfortable for Kate.
Harry and Meghan had postponed their decision on whether they would travel to the ceremony, even though the RSVP date of April 3 had passed.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement: “Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Then Harry and Meghan’s charity Archewell released a near-identical statement to news agency the Press Association confirming the duke would be attending.
A spokesperson said: “The Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Charles will be crowned in a ceremony full of pomp, royalty and traditions dating back 1,000 years, after 70 years of the reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September.
Mr Scobie, a trusted contact in the Sussex family, tweeted the news of Harry’s impending attendance and then added: ‘I understand Archie’s fourth birthday (also on May 6) played a factor in the couple’s decision.
“Expect it to be a fairly quick trip back to the UK for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.”
And Chris Ship, royal editor, told ITV News: ‘Considering all that has been said/alleged – in six episodes of Netflix and one book – this is a huge development.
“But Harry coming alone means less stress for the royal family – and fewer of those awkward photos together.”
It is understood that Harry will be back in California just hours after his father’s coronation ceremony ends.
Ownership sources claimed Harry has told the monarch he won’t be staying in Britain for the star-studded concert at Windsor Castle the next day — instead he’ll fly back to the US after the ceremony so he can be with his family and celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday, which is also on May 6.