The Royal Family Is Wondering Why Prince Harry “Bothered to Come” to the Coronation at All

It was the briefest of appearances but after much deliberation and creating a headache for organizers over whether he would attend, Prince Harry flew to Britain for King Charles‘s coronation after all.

On Monday, the Telegraph reported that Harry even visited Buckingham Palace during his time in London, “slipping in and out of the monarchy’s headquarters briefly without seeing the royal family.” However, there was no meeting with his father, and he didn’t exchange a single word with his brother Prince William during the fleeting trip.

According to one family friend, Harry’s 28 hours in the country has left his family “wondering why Harry bothered to come at all.” 

“One makes one’s choices,” said a source close to the royal family. “To be honest there wasn’t much talk of Harry at all. The focus was very much on the occasion.”

The Duke of Sussex flew to England to witness the most important moment of his father’s life and arrived on Friday night. Meghan Markle, who was seen hiking over the weekend, stayed behind in Los Angeles with the couple’s children Archie and Lilibet and celebrated Archie’s fourth birthday with a small gathering at their Montecito home.

Harry was determined to get back to the United States in time to see Archie and declined an invitation to join the king and his family for an informal lunch after the coronation. The duke was on his way to the airport before the official photographs (released Monday afternoon along with a message from King Charles) were even taken.

His fleeting visit has left the family underwhelmed, according to the family friend, and his father “saddened.”

There was hope Harry might make a brief appearance, but while he is reported to have stopped at the palace so that he could take a breather before heading to the airport, the duke did not see any of his family.