That resurfaced video proves Meghan and Harry must attend the coronation

When an American like me hears the word “coronation”, the first thing I usually think of is Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries 2 or the musical opening to Frozen. For those of us across the pond, the coronation of a new monarch is like something out of a Disney movie – which is why it’s hard to imagine that the new King’s coronation is fast approaching, and not just because the majority of us never thought this day would come.

There’s been much speculation about the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III, which takes place on Saturday 6 May. Most interestingly, whether his estranged son will attend the ceremony after Harry’s big year of bombshell claims, documentaries, and memoirs about his “todger”.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have not yet disclosed whether they will attend the coronation, despite receiving an invitation via “email correspondence”. Who knew that the royal family also sends out party invites through Paperless Post? It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven’t RSVP’d to the coronation either, considering the King recently kicked them out of their UK home, Frogmore Cottage.

That isn’t the only little detail hindering their decision on whether or not to come for the coronation. Harry has gone on record that he is seeking an “apology” from the King and his brother, the Prince of Wales, before he makes any commitment to the ceremony. Speaking to ITV’s Tom Bradby in January, Harry even said the “ball is in their court” – which is what I always say when I’m waiting for my Hinge date to text me back.

Let’s face it: We should all want to see Harry and Meghan at King Charles III’s coronation. Yes, it would be a positive sign that this once-feuding family has turned a new leaf, but it would also change the coronation from just any other royal engagement into must-see TV – something that the California couple do best.

Amid speculation about the King’s guest list, a resurfaced clip from Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries has recently gone viral online. The video was taken from the sixth episode of Harry & Meghan, which hit Netflix on 8 December. In the clip, Prince Harry is seen receiving a text from his brother after their joint interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

“What am I looking at?” Meghan asks Harry as he shows her his phone. “Wow,” she says when she realises it was a text from Prince William. Harry, who appeared to be shaken by the surprise text, told his wife: “I wish I knew what to do.”

She then goes over to comfort her husband with a hug, saying: “I know. Let’s take a breather. Get some air and then decide.”

Viewers’ reactions to the viral video were mixed, as is almost everything Harry and Meghan do. Some comments criticised the couple for letting people in on an otherwise private text between Harry and his brother, while others praised them for their public displays of affection like any other married couple. In fact, it’s Harry and Meghan’s emotional displays during moments of reverence that have caught people’s attention in the past.

From the resurfaced video of Meghan comforting Harry, to the time when the two held hands while exiting a Westminster Hall service following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the couple have often been accused of breaking royal “protocol” – a protocol which Harry once claimed has never existed in the first place. I mean, it makes sense that Harry and Meghan are sure to find comfort in each other if they choose to attend Charles’ coronation, where they’re surrounded by people who would prefer to give them the “cold shoulder”.

The May coronation, which also falls on their son Archie Harrison’s fourth birthday, may also be the first time we see Harry and Meghan’s two children – Archie and Lilibet Diana – in the UK since the couple stepped down as senior working royals in 2020. Considering the hoopla surrounding their recent designation as prince and princess, why not use the trip across the pond to show off their children’s new titles?

It isn’t just King Charles who will play a role in the upcoming coronation. It has been confirmed that the ceremony will involve the coronation of both Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who will be crowned alongside each other. That means the May coronation will see Prince Harry facing not only his father and estranged brother, but also his step-mother – whom he once described as “the villain” in an interview with Anderson Cooper for CBS’ 60 Minutes. Could the crowning of the Queen Consort also see a showdown between a prince and his so-called wicked stepmother, a la Cinderella? Perhaps the coronation will indeed be like something out of a Disney movie.

It’s truly up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle whether they decide to leave the idealised comfort of their Montecito home for the dark, hallowed corridors of Westminster Abbey. I wouldn’t blame them if they chose not to attend King Charles’ coronation either, although we’d all miss the entertainment.