A historian says the coronation is going to be especially emotional for Prince Harry. Sure, one part is that he’s reuniting with the royal family for the first time since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Another is the ceremony itself. From attending without Meghan Markle to a “painful fact,” how the coronation’s going to be a “very tough gig” for the Duke of Sussex.
Harry faces a ‘massive challenge’ attending the coronation alone
“Yes, I think it will take guts for the Duke of Sussex to walk into Westminster Abbey alone on Saturday,” Dr. Tessa Dunlop, a royal expert and historian, told Mirror. “But if we’ve learnt [sic] anything about Harry over the last few years, it’s that he doesn’t shy away from a challenge. He’s addicted to the rush of adrenaline.”
“Detonating verbal bombs against the institution of monarchy and the British press is not a hobby for the faint-hearted,” she continued. “Nor is facing down several massive publishing companies in court.”
“But no matter how gutsy he is, and despite a lifetime of training in the public eye, Saturday will be a massive challenge for Prince Harry,” Dunlop said.
The coronation’s line of succession focus will be ‘tough’ for Prince Harry
“Going solo into that abbey, under the gaze of a thousand lenses, exchanging pleasantries with people he is no longer speaking to, that’s a very tough gig for any man,” Dunlop said. “And one made emotionally harder because the entire coronation ceremony is about affirming and reaffirming the line of succession.”
Harry is currently fifth in line to the throne. Ahead of him is William and his three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 4.
“Saturday is King Charles’ big day,” the historian said. “In second place comes Harry’s brother, William, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. Then his nine-year-old nephew, Prince George, one of eight honorary pageboys.”
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“The coronation service will double down on the painful fact that Harry is, and always has been, the spare. “Amidst pomp and ceremony he is no longer part of, sitting several rows back and stripped of his military uniform, Harry won’t find the service easy.”
Harry named his best-selling memoir, Spare, as a nod to his no. 2 status at birth.
Harry’s expected to leave soon after the coronation ceremony ends
The Duke of Sussex’s trip to England is reportedly going to be a short one. Speaking to The Sun, an “insider” claimed Harry will “be in and out of the UK in 24 hours.” As in, “He will only be doing the coronation service then leaving.”
The reason for the speedy trip reportedly has to do with what else is happening on coronation day. On May 6, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Prince Archie, turns four.
As royal correspondent Omid Scobie tweeted after Buckingham Palace confirmed the duke’s attendance at the coronation, Archie’s birthday seemingly “played a factor.”
The coronation begins at 11 a.m. in London, or 6 a.m. EST. Meaning once the two-hour ceremony is up, Harry could be back home in California by evening.
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