All The Royals Who Are Attending King Charles' Coronation
This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.
King Charles III's coronation is almost upon us. After the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022, Charles was named king. "He never wanted to think about accession because it meant the death of his mother," a former aide said at the time, as reported by The Guardian. Even though Charles has been a monarch for months, the coronation ceremony will mark the symbolic moment when he is officially crowned. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on May 6, 2023.
Although the guest list will be notably smaller — approximately 25% of that of his late mother's 1953 coronation — Charles' coronation will break a nearly millennia-long tradition in which foreign monarchs were not invited to attend. "I believe the rule began because a coronation is meant to be a monarch's private event with God," a source alleged to the Daily Mail. "At the Queen's coronation there were no crowned monarchs, only the protectorate rulers like the Queen of Tonga. It's been a tradition for centuries." The source continued, saying, "You can expect the guest list for the coronation to more closely resemble that of a royal wedding than the coronation 70 years ago."
So, which royals — British and foreign — can you expect to see at the coronation? Here's what we know.
Members of the British royal family will be in attendance
Naturally, almost everyone from the British royal family is expected to be at King Charles III's coronation. As of this writing, Buckingham Palace hasn't confirmed the guest list, but key members of the royal family will undoubtedly be present, with some accompanying the king on the palace's balcony to greet well-wishers.
It's likely that Prince William, Princess Catherine, and their three children will be in attendance. Princess Anne and Prince Edward are also expected to be present and may even play a prominent role, one expert told Express. Prince Edward's wife, Sophie, and the couple's children, as well as Princess Anne's children may also attend.
Looking back at the last coronation in 1953, most of the British royal family were in attendance, including the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and a young Prince Charles — who, according to some photos, was a bit bored by the whole experience. The royals also took part in the ceremony, walking down the aisle before the entrance of the queen. During the 2023 coronation, we should see some British royals, like William and Catherine, actually taking part in the ceremony, too.
Prince Andrew will likely attend, but Sarah Ferguson may not
Prince Andrew is one royal whose attendance at the coronation is more than a little controversial. Andrew's standing in the royal family has been shaky ever since he became embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, when Virginia Guiffre accused him of sexually abusing her when she was just 17. While it's likely that Andrew will attend the coronation, King Charles may not allow Andrew to wear the traditional ceremonial robes during the ceremony, according to the Mirror, which is apparently not sitting well with the prince. "Andrew is furious," a royal source alleged. "He's already not playing a part and now he feels he is being disrespected and dictated to over something he is fully entitled to (wear)."
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's ex-wife and mother of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, is a former member of the family who has been on shaky ground for several years. In the '90s, she was at the center of a number of scandals, including an adultery scandal and a bribery scandal. According to one source who spoke to the Express, she was, at one point, even forbidden from coming to Sandringham with the rest of the royal family. By the looks of things, she may also be excluded from the coronation.
During an interview with Glamour, Ferguson was asked if she had received an invite. She responded, "The invitations haven't gone out yet. Have they?"
What about Prince Harry and Meghan?
Another royal whose attendance at the coronation was initially unclear was Prince Harry, King Charles's youngest son. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, have had a frosty relationship with the rest of the family since they stepped away from royal duties and moved to California. More recently, with the release of the Netflix docu-series "Harry & Meghan," along with Harry's memoir "Spare," both Harry and Meghan have opened up about what they claim to be unfair and even unsafe treatment during their time in London.
In January 2023, before the invitations to the coronation were sent out, Harry told ITV in reference to the coronation, "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. But, the door is always open. The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they're willing to sit down and talk about it."
In March, the prince's spokesperson confirmed an invitation, telling Reuters, "I can confirm the duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether the duke and duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco 'will definitely' be there
Prince Albert of Monacco and his wife Charlene were the first foreign royals to accept their invitations to King Charles' coronation. Albert spoke to People about his excitement for the event, confirming that he and his wife "will definitely go." Albert continued, saying, "I'm certain that it's going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one. We've maintained contact since His Majesty became king, but I haven't talked to him personally since the queen's funeral."
Albert added that his two twins may or may not travel to London with them. "I don't know what arrangements they'll provide for other members of the family," he said. "And the children, I think, [they] may be a little young for these types of ceremonies. But we'll see." Albert further told the publication about his longtime admiration of Charles for his environmental efforts.
Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko are expected to attend
Fumihito, Crown Prince of Japan, plans to attend the upcoming coronation alongside his wife, Princess Kiko. NHK, a Japanese news outlet, reported that the British royal family was making preparations for the prince and princess to travel to London in May. According to the outlet, former Japanese Emperor Akihito attended the last coronation in 1953 when he was next in line to the throne.
Additionally, Naruhito, the current emperor of Japan and the older brother of Prince Fumihito, attended Queen Elizabeth II's funeral with his wife, Empress Masako. A few years earlier, King Charles III, then Prince Charles, attended the enthronement ceremony (the Japanese equivalent of a coronation) for Emperor Naruhito.
A royal statement issued on Charles' behalf explained that his visit included "a day of engagements in Tokyo to celebrate British-Japanese connections." It marked Charles' fifth visit to Japan. It seems that the ties between the two nations run deep.