The youngest son had no interaction with his older brother and father during the king's coronation ceremony.
While King Charles III's coronation marked a momentous event for the British monarchy as well as Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son, who was crowned at 74 years old, it was also expected to be a big day for the royal family as many thought Prince Harry would publicly reunite with his father and older brother, Prince William, but that wasn't the case.
Harry was in attendance at the historic coronation, but had no interaction with his father or brother.
Harry was spotted entering the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning with his cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princes Eugenie, and Zara Tindall, as well as their respective spouses. He seemed in good spirits, smiling and chatting with Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and sat with his family -- next to Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, and directly behind his aunt, Anne, Princess Royal, who he also talked to.
Harry also joined the crown in reciting "God Save King Charles" following his father's crowning and sang along to "God Save the King" as the monarch processed out of Westminster Abbey. Following the ceremony, Harry was seen waiting alone outside Westminster Abbey for 10 minutes before getting into a black BMW sedan and departing.
Prior to the coronation, a source close to the royal family told ET, “William is still upset about Harry’s book. He feels it was a betrayal and he has no interest in communicating with Harry before the coronation about their disagreements."
Although ET has reported that Harry has expressed an interest in mending his relationship with his brother and father, the source added, “The relationship is still fractured, and it is unclear when they will be able to mend fences."
If any eventual reconciliation does happen, it will almost certainly come after the highly public royal event.
"I fully expect Prince Harry to be very much on the sidelines during this ceremony," royal expert Eloise Parker told ET ahead of the coronation. "This ceremony is all about King Charles III and the Queen Consort, so I would expect even the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, will also be at the sidelines for this [event]."
Parker went on to explain that "there's going to be thousands of people around, all needing attention. Charles is going to be very much at the center of that, so hopefully for Harry that's going to take the emphasis off of him."
"I think most people are hoping that the father-son relationship will heal over time. Unfortunately, I just don't think the coronation is gonna be the event for that to happen," she continued. "There's just gonna be too many people, too much pressure, and far too much going on."
It also makes sense seeing how there was little time for any extended reunion since William also played an important role in his father's coronation. The Prince of Wales pledged his loyalty and allegiance to the king during the ceremony and was the only royal to honor the king in this way.
A role for Harry was not listed prior to the events on Saturday and he did not have any formal part in the ceremony.
The coronation, meanwhile, was also the first time the three have been seen in public together since Queen Elizabeth II's committal service, when her coffin was carried to St. George's Chapel on Sept. 19. At that time, her body was followed by a selection of immediate family members, including Harry, William and the future king.
The committal service took place following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey before the queen was buried during a private ceremony at King George VI Memorial Chapel. During the state funeral, Meghan Markle joined her husband as they sat behind William and his wife, Kate Middleton, in the second row. All were seen getting emotional throughout the day.
Prior to that, Harry's last major public interaction with Charles and William was at Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. At the time, it marked Harry's first visit to the U.K. since March 2020, when he and Meghan wrapped up their duties as senior members of the royal family.
While Harry has been in England for the coronation, Meghan stayed behind at their Montecito, California, home, with their two children -- son Archie, who turned 4 on the day of the coronation, and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet.
King Charles III's coronation formalized his role as the head of the Church of England and marked the transfer of his title and powers. It was also the official moment he was crowned king.
During the ceremony, King Charles was crowned with the St Edward's Crown from the 17th century, which weighs nearly five pounds, has a solid gold frame and 444 stones.
Meanwhile, his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, was also anointed and crowned as queen. Camilla is the first divorcee to be crowned, and the coronation invitation that was released in April made headlines when it referred to her as Queen Camilla for the first time. Until then, she has been described as queen consort.
As for Harry, it was previously reported that he would be attending the coronation, but Meghan would not be joining him in the U.K. The news came amid tension within the royal family after the December 2022 release of the couple's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and the Duke of Sussex's bestselling memoir, Spare, which came out a month later, in January 2023. Both the doc and the book were critical of Harry's family and also shared intimate details about the royals from the couple's perspective.
Despite Harry and Meghan's estrangement from the royals, the couple is featured in the official souvenir program celebrating the coronation, which features a happy photo of the family -- including William, Kate and their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- celebrating Charles' 70th birthday in 2018.
Although the actual anointment during the coronation ceremony was not broadcast publicly, plenty of special programming and footage from the ceremony is available to watch on CBS and Paramount+. Audiences will also be able to view coverage on CBS News, including the concert featuring Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on Sunday, May 7. Additionally, others can watch the coronation online on these streaming platforms.
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