No Harry on Royal Balcony After Charles Gets His Crown

Prince was in attendance for coronation ceremony, though; entire event estimated to cost up to $125M
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 6, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
No Harry on Royal Balcony After Charles Gets His Crown
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their coronation ceremony in London on Saturday. Other family members are also seen, including Prince William and his family, on the left.   (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

King Charles III can breathe a sigh of relief: The most pressure-filled part of his coronation day is over. The newly crowned 74-year-old monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, who was also coronated Saturday at London's Westminster Abbey, headed back in their carriage afterward to Buckingham Palace, where crowds eagerly awaited to see who would come out with them on the royal balcony for their famous wave to the masses. When the king and queen finally emerged to greet fans standing below in the rain, they were accompanied by their pages—including Prince George, Prince William's oldest son—and other family members, including William; his wife Kate, Princess of Wales; their other two children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; and two of Charles' siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, per the AP. Notably absent from the family gathering on the terrace: Charles' other son, Prince Harry, and the king's brother, Prince Andrew, who's been stripped of his royal duties. More on the big day:

  • All eyes on Harry: The estranged prince was said to be "all smiles" during his short appearance at his father's crowning, arriving at Westminster Abbey with cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and chatting with other family members, such as aunt Princess Anne. But the Daily Beast reports Harry wasn't in the coronation procession, "was seated in the third row with the disgraced Prince Andrew," and "did not make eye contact with his father or brother" William, who's said to still be miffed at his younger sibling for allegations he made about the royals in his memoir Spare. It's not clear if Harry headed back to Buckingham Palace for a scheduled luncheon after the coronation, or to the airport to head back to the States for the birthday of his son, Archie, who turns 4 on Saturday.
  • And on Prince Louis: The 5-year-old royal, who earned headlines last year for his antics at the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, found himself once more in the spotlight at his grandfather's coronation. Per Page Six, the young prince "let out several yawns" during the formalities (see a photo in our gallery), and at one point was taken out of the service for unknown reasons—though he did reemerge later on. The royals reportedly had a nanny on standby in case Louis got antsy.
  • And on Camilla: The king's 75-year-old wife, who received her own crown, will now simply be called Queen Camilla, as can be seen on her official biography page, per People. Previously, she'd had the designation of "queen consort." The Independent makes sure to point out, however, that should Charles die, Camilla wouldn't become the reigning queen, as she's only queen through marriage. The next person set for the throne in the direct line of succession is Prince William.

  • Stars glammed up: What would a coronation be without comments on who showed up and what they were wearing? E! Online shows off some of the big names who arrived to watch the king's big moment, while the Independent takes on the task of ranking the best- and worst-dressed (make sure you check out Katy Perry's fascinator hat).
  • Plenty of pics: Fox News presents a gallery of images from Charles' life, stretching all the way back to his christening, while People promises it has "every photo" from the coronation (probably not true, but there are a lot).
  • Arrests: Not everyone was in a celebratory mood. At least six protesters with the anti-monarchy group Republic were arrested before the coronation, with the group telling CNN that no reason was given by police for their detention. London's Metropolitan Police tweeted about some of the arrests they'd made, for such charges as "suspicion of breaching the peace," "suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance," and "suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage." The arrests come just days after the king approved a controversial new law that gives police more powers to "to prevent disruption at major sporting and cultural events."
  • Price tag: So how much did this whole royal shindig cost? Buckingham Palace isn't releasing numbers, but CNBC cites estimates on the "scaled-back" coronation that put the tab at somewhere between $63 million and $125 million.
(More King Charles III coronation stories.)

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