The One Royal Who Was Completely Snubbed From The Coronation
The guest list for King Charles III's coronation includes 850 members of the British public who have been recognized for their charitable work, according to the BBC. The remainder of the 2,000 invited guests to Charles's pared-down coronation — Queen Elizabeth's guest list topped 8,000, to put it into perspective — will include dignitaries from around the world, including monarchs from other countries, which is not something that's traditionally been done before.
Among the crowd will be King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain as well as King Carl and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden alongside other reigning royals from all over the world, per People. Some on the invite list RSVPed with a "no," like President Joe Biden, though that was not unexpected, as no sitting American president has attended a British monarch's coronation to date. A more sensational "no" came from California.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's coronation plans, clarifying that Meghan will be staying home with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet while her husband attends to support his father (here's how King Charles reportedly feels about Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet skipping his coronation). At least the Duchess of Sussex was given the opportunity to say "yes" to the coronation invite, which is more than one beloved British royal can say.
Sarah Ferguson shockingly didn't make the cut
In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson and they became the Duke and Duchess of York. While they divorced in 1996, Fergie kept her title and she still lives with Andrew in Windsor. The former couple's daughters, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie, meanwhile, are ninth and 11th in line for the throne respectively. However, despite her clear royal connections, Fergie isn't invited to King Charles's coronation, according to The Independent.
"As the ex-wife she would not expect to be invited," Ingrid Stewart, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine explained, clarifying that it's nothing personal. Fergie has been seen at some major royal events after her divorce, including the queen's funeral and Prince Harry's wedding. However, she wasn't invited to his older brother's nuptials, telling Town & Country magazine at the time, "I didn't think I was probably worthy to go." Some people are understandably annoyed at the apparent snub, especially considering how supportive Fergie has always been of The Firm and the fact her daughters will be present.
"The whole day is about the new king and the success of his reign but she has always championed the royal family and the queen undoubtedly would have wanted her to be there," a friend of the duchess told The Independent. Even though she's not on the guest list, Fergie will surely be watching the coronation, potentially with a couple of the queen's corgis nearby since she adopted two of them after Her Majesty's death.