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King Charles “simply won’t have the time” to sit down with Prince Harry for a private summit before the coronation, a friend of the king’s told The Daily Beast, while Prince William has no intention of apologizing to Harry and Meghan because he believes he hasn’t done anything wrong, a friend of William and Kate Middleton’s told The Daily Beast Wednesday.
The frank remarks come after sources said to be close to Harry and Meghan told the Mirror that the couple are still reluctant to attend Charles’ coronation without having a family meeting first, fearing a “toxic” atmosphere, with a source saying: “Harry has been very clear and his position hasn’t wavered—he isn’t going to come if he feels the atmosphere will be as toxic as it was during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and funeral.
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“He’s said he wants to reconcile with his family and it’s their call, but so far nothing has changed.”
The Mirror said Harry wants a “summit” with his family prior to attending. However many in royal circles think this is unrealistic, while suspecting that Harry and Meghan will ultimately show up anyway.
Harry was asked directly by ITV news anchor Tom Bradby, in an interview to promote his memoir, Spare, whether he would attend the coronation.
He replied: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then, but you know, the door is always open, the ball is in their court. There is a lot to be discussed and I really hope they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”
In an interview with the Telegraph, Harry also demanded an apology, although he did not explicitly link it to his attendance at the coronation. Harry said in that interview: “The way I see it is, I’m willing to forgive you [the royal family] for everything you’ve done, and I wish you’d actually sat down with me, properly, and instead of saying I’m delusional and paranoid, actually sit down and have a proper conversation about this, because what I’d really like is some accountability. And an apology to my wife.”
However a friend of Charles’ told The Daily Beast Wednesday, “Charles adores Harry and wants him to be there. But he has a coronation to organize. He simply won’t have the time to organize a special meeting with Harry.”
There is considered to be zero probability among William and Kate’s friends that William would “apologize” to Harry. “No. What should he apologize for?” one friend told The Daily Beast, when asked if such a gesture was likely.
The Daily Beast was previously told by a source that William would rather Harry was not attending the coronation but is prepared to tolerate his brother’s presence in support of his father.
Intriguingly the Mirror claims that Charles has not spoken directly to Harry or Meghan since the publication of the book.
The offices of Charles, William, and Harry did not respond to requests for comment to The Daily Beast for this story.
The last time Harry is known to have summoned his father and brother to what he called a “secret” meeting was after his grandfather’s death. The three met in a royal graveyard on the grounds of Frogmore House, a scene Harry related in the opening pages of his book.
“Please boys,” Harry quoted Charles as saying at the meeting, “Don’t make my final years a misery.”
A friend told the Mail on Sunday this weekend, “Members of the family have told me that both Harry and Meghan will definitely come. They fully expect that. And they should realize that there is only one subject that many members of the royal family will be willing to discuss… and that’s the weather.”
A friend told the paper, “Harry revealed details of private conversations, so everyone is on edge. You ask about the Sussexes and everyone immediately changes the subject. They are spitting feathers but not minded to provide any fuel for the fire.”
