The royal was very much on the sidelines during the morning of his father's historic ceremony.
Prince Harry is taking a back seat, literally, on his father's historic coronation day.
The 38-year-old Spare author journeyed from his home in California to be in attendance at the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday at Westminster Abbey in the U.K., but in a moment not captured by TV cameras, Harry was spotted waiting alone for 10 minutes outside Westminster Abbey before getting in the back seat of a sedan and driving away. Meanwhile, his brother, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children exited the church together, following the king and Queen Camilla in an elaborate processional back to Buckingham Palace.
This after Harry was notably relegated to a seat in the third row of the abbey during the ceremony, two rows behind his brother's family. Amid family tensions surrounding the release of Harry's memoir, the prince had no interaction with his father or brother during the event.
In another moment not seen on TV, Charles was anointed with Chrism oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury during the service while service personnel from the Regiments of the Household Division held up a curtain.
Buckingham Palace called it "most solemn and personal of moments," explaining why the privacy screen was used. "It has historically been regarded as a moment between the Sovereign and God, with a screen or canopy in place given the sanctity of the Anointing."
Earlier that morning, Harry was spotted entering the ceremony 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's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and sat with his family -- next to Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, and directly behind his aunt, Anne, Princess Royal.
Harry also joined the crowd in reciting "God save King Charles" following his father's crowning and sang along to "God Save the King" as the monarchs processed out of Westminster Abbey.
ET spoke with royal expert Eloise Parker ahead of the May 6 ceremony, who shared some insights on what would likely go down between Harry and Charles during the coronation and it wasn't too far off from what viewers saw Saturday.
"I fully expect Prince Harry to be very much on the sidelines during this ceremony," Parker shared. "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]."
It was recently revealed that Harry would be attending the coronation alone -- while his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children -- Archie, who turns 4 on Saturday, and Lilibet, 1 -- will remain at home in California.
"[There was] some surprise that Harry is going alone, [but] not so much when you realize that it's his son, Archie's, birthday the very same day," Parker explained. "So Meghan is in fact going to be staying home in California to celebrate that birthday, which is perhaps quite convenient given the tensions between the two families right now."
A source told ET that Harry arrived in the U.K. on Friday morning, and was put up at his and Meghan's former home, Frogmore Cottage. He is expected to depart on Saturday following the coronation festivities. Meanwhile, ET has learned that Archie’s birthday celebration will be a small gathering with friends and family in Montecito.
ET also spoke with royal biographer Andrew Morton to discuss Saturday's coronation, where he shared what he thinks the day will look like for Harry.
"Prince Harry will be back at the church. He's got a non-position," Morton said.
Despite Harry and Meghan's estrangement from the royals, the couple is featured in the official souvenir program celebrating the coronation, which includes a happy photo of the family -- including Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- celebrating King Charles' 70th birthday in 2018.
The coronation at Westminster Abbey formalized Charles' 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.
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. In doing so, Camilla became the first divorcee to be crowned, with the coronation invitation that was released in April making headlines when it referred to her as Queen Camilla for the first time. Until then, she was described as queen consort.
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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