Countdown to Coronation!

King Charles III's official crowning ceremony has turned into a celebration rife with secrets, surprises and snubs

The world hasn’t seen anything like this in 70 years. But on May 6, a ceremony dripping in jewels, rich in regalia and steeped in tradition will unfold inside London’s Westminster Abbey as Britain’s King Charles III is crowned, anointed, blessed and consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Ancient rituals that have remained mostly unchanged for 1,000 years will be witnessed by millions across the globe for only the second time in history — as the 1953 coronation of Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the first to ever be televised.

Now, it’s just days away. As the countdown to Charles’ glorious crowning begins, details have emerged from both Buckingham Palace and other royal sources revealing that in addition to all the expected historical pageantry, the coronation is also chock-full of secrets and surprises — some welcome, some not. “ It’s meant to be a celebration, and it will be,” says a palace source, “but there has also been drama behind the scenes.”

A SHOCK COMPROMISE

One of the biggest questions that had courtiers speculating for months concerned Prince Harry. After years of bad blood, plus his recent jaw-dropping revelations about the royal family’s behavior in his memoir, Spare, would Charles’ youngest son attend with his family? On April 12, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex answered: Harry, 38, is going to his father’s coronation — but wife Meghan Markle, 41, is not and instead will “remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” the palace announced in a statement (see sidebar).