The 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex did not join her husband, Prince Harry, in London.
It's coronation day in England, but those watching are all too aware of a noticeable absence to the guest list. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and the daughter-in-law of King Charles III, will not be in attendance at his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The 41-year-old wife of Prince Harry chose to stay behind at the couple's home in Montecito, California, and forego any coronation festivities.
In addition to the tension between Meghan and the royals, Saturday also happens to be her and Harry's son, Archie's, fourth birthday. They are also parents to 1-year-old daughter Lilibet.
In fact, Archie's birthday was specifically mentioned in the announcement from Buckingham Palace last month, confirming that Harry would be attending his father's coronation but that Meghan would be skipping the historic event. ET has learned that Archie's birthday celebration will be a small gathering with friends and family in Montecito.
Royal reporter Omid Scobie previously told ET that he doubts the duchess will tune in to see the coronation festivities.
"Because of that eight-hour time difference the Duchess of Sussex is more likely to be asleep rather than in front of the television," Scobie told ET.
Scobie added that Meghan plans to bring together her "closest friends and family" for a quiet birthday celebration for Archie. It's unclear if Harry will be able to attend, though it is believed that his attendance at the coronation ceremony will mark the duration of his time in the U.K.
"People around him are working as hard as they can to find the quickest way into the country and the quickest way out. He's really only coming in for the ceremony," Scobie previously shared of Harry.
Meghan's absence comes amid tension within the royal family after the December release of Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and the Duke of Sussex's bestselling memoir, Spare, which came out in January. 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 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.
King Charles III's coronation formalizes his role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of his title and powers. It's also the official moment he is crowned king.
King Charles will be 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, will be anointed and crowned as queen. Camilla will be 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 was described as queen consort.
Although the actual anointment during the coronation ceremony is not broadcast publicly, plenty of special programming and live footage from the ceremony will be available to watch live on May 6, starting at 5 a.m. ET 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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