Harry has been estranged from his family for years following his decision to step down as a senior member of the royal family.
King Charles III wants his coronation day to be just right, and that includes having his youngest son, Prince Harry, by his side. The new king of England is preparing for his May 6 coronation and there have been some questions raised about whether Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, will make an appearance considering the current tension between them and the royal family.
A source close to the royal family tells ET, "Of course, Charles wants his son at the coronation. It is a pivotal moment in his life. He loves both his sons and wants Prince Harry there."
Amid already strained relationships between Harry and his family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a six-part Netflix docuseries chronicling their love story and subsequent exit from royal life. One month later, Harry released his widely discussed memoir, Spare, in which he made a series of claims against his family, resulting in a more estranged relationship than ever.
“King Charles wants to mend the relationship within the family," the source adds. “They will be invited. It would look terrible if they were not."
But despite the forthcoming invitation, Harry will have no official role in the coronation, considering he is no longer a working member of the royal family. The source notes that his role will likely be similar to the one he held during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last fall.
According to the source, tradition has it that royal dukes swear allegiance to the new king. But at Charles' coronation, only Prince William is expected to do so. This will also solve the issue of Prince Andrew's situation after he too stepped down from life as a working royal following the news of his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
"No one wants that situation casting a dark cloud over the coronation," the source adds.
Earlier this month, another source told ET that the Sussexes had yet to receive a formal invitation to the king's coronation.
Last month, royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET that she believed the palace would extend an invitation to the estranged prince. "My sources close to the king say that he will be extending that olive branch and that he will be inviting Meghan and Harry to the coronation," she said.
Around the same time, Harry said he would accept the invitation if extended. "There's a lot that can happen between now and then but the door is always open," Harry said in his ITV interview with Tom Bradbury. "The ball is in their court. There's a lot to be discussed, and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it."
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