King Charles extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by inviting him to his coronation in May, but a family friend of the monarchy claimed if the Sussexes do attend the grandiose event, they won't be welcomed with open arms.
"They will be given the cold shoulder by very many relatives," a pal of the royals told one outlet. "One said to me, 'I hope they’ll be seated in Iceland.'"
"Many of the family just want nothing more to do with them," the insider continued. "If they have to see them at the Coronation then so be it, but they do not want to socialize with them."
The parents-of-two confirmed they were invited to the shindig via e-mail, but they've yet to reveal whether they'll attend. And despite everything Harry's been through with his loved ones since stepping down from his royal duties in 2020, most believe their decision will be the make or break moment for his future with the family.
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"The kind of symbolism of not going feels a little bit like giving up on the relationship with the royals. It feels like just kind of admitting defeat and that the rift will never heal," Newsweek's Jack Royston said on a recent episode of "The Royal Report" podcast. "You know, if you don't go back to Britain to see your family for the coronation, then what do you go back for? What is going to be bigger than this?"
Royston added that if the couple don't fly out and bring their own two kids, it's unlikely they'll ever return to the U.K.
"Who is going to have an event of a scale that will actually bring Harry and Meghan back? They might come back to see friends but that's not the same as seeing family members," said the expert. "That's the thing about the royal family, is that you really do have to make a deliberate effort to see somebody. You have to get it in the calendar or it won't happen. So, you know, going [to the coronation], I guess is keeping hope alive."
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Daily Mail spoke to the insider about how the royals would react to the Sussexes' presence at the coronation.
