British bookmakers have been cutting the odds on Prince Harry attending the coronation of King Charles III throughout March, despite the ongoing dramas within the royal family.
The royal put his appearance at the May 6 Westminster Abbey ceremony in doubt in January when he was asked by ITV interviewer Tom Bradby whether he planned on making the journey to Britain for his father's big day. The prince responded: "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."
Bookmakers have offered varying odds on whether royal watchers will see Harry at the coronation since details of the ceremony were announced last year. On March 3, Ladbrokes was offering 4/6 odds on Harry going to the ceremony, as opposed to 2/1 against.
This narrowed by March 8 to 4/5 odds that he would go, and 6/4 odds that he wouldn't.
New figures showed on Friday that the betting public are expecting the king's youngest son to attend the national celebrations, now more than ever.
Bookmarkers Sky Bet, are now offering odds of 1/4 that the prince will attend, as opposed to 11/4 that he will not.
In percentage terms, this sees the market predicting an 80 percent implied probability that the royal will go to the coronation and a 26 percent chance he won't.
Speaking about gradual changing odds over the past month, Jessica O'Reilly of Ladbrokes told Newsweek: "With King Charles offering an olive branch by way of inviting the Sussexes to the Coronation the odds suggest they'll attend, even without Archie and Lilibet."
Speculation over whether Harry and wife, Meghan Markle, could snub the coronation came after transatlantic family tensions were laid bare by the California-based couple in their eponymous Netflix series in December, and even more explicitly in the prince's memoir Spare, which was released in January.
The couple stepped away from the monarchy in 2020 citing issues with the British tabloid press and feeling unsupported by the royals and royal household. In 2021, they launched public bombshells at the royal family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, laying bare their grievances, which they felt had led them to flee the U.K.
After the Oprah interview, Queen Elizabeth II released a rare statement saying that while "recollections may vary," Harry, Meghan and their children would "always be much loved" members of her family.
The couple made didn't publicly return to Britain together until 2022, when they made a special journey to attend the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. They would again reunite with the royals in September 2022 to mark the monarch's death and to attend her state funeral.
A number of factors could influence Harry and Meghan from traveling to Britain for the coronation, aside from family awkwardness, with the main consideration being that the prince is in an ongoing legal battle with the government over security.
Harry had his state-funded security detail removed when he stepped down from the monarchy, with bodyguards only being allocated to him in Britain if he attends official events.
The prince has argued that as his threat level (that he inherited at birth as a royal) did not decrease after he stepped down from his working role, he should be allowed access, even if he has to pay for it himself, to police protection in Britain.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan confirmed that the couple had received email correspondence from King Charles' office about the coronation, strongly signaling that the king wishes them to attend in some capacity.
"I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation," the spokesperson said, per the BBC. "An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."
Following these comments, Oprah Winfrey was asked in a recent interview by mutual friend Gayle King, if she had any advice for the couple over whether or not to accept an invite and go to the coronation.
"Do you think they should go, do you think they should not go? Is it something you'd like to comment on? I'm listening," King asked, to which Winfrey responded:
"I think they should do what they feel is best for them and their family. That's what I think. That's what the bottom line comes down to. What do you feel like is the right thing for you? They haven't asked me my opinion,"
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry and Buckingham Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
