King Charles expresses dismay over Harry’s early coronation exit, but sends birthday wishes to grandson Archie

Prince Harry made a fleeting appearance at the coronation ceremony of his father, King Charles, over.

The weekend, but his mind was already set on more pressing matters – his son’s birthday. Archie turned 4 on Saturday, the same day as the coronation, and Harry wasn’t going to miss the milestone.

While Prince Harry attended the coronation ceremony in London, he left for Heathrow Airport immediately afterward in order to make it home for Archie’s birthday, as had long been reported he intended to do. At the event, he had been seated in the third row, with relations including Princess Eugenie of York, and didn’t appear to have had any direct communication with Charles or his brother Prince William.

At a private family gathering for lunch on Saturday following the coronation and the family’s appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, King Charles toasted “those that weren’t there” and wished Prince Archie a happy birthday “wherever he was,” according to the Daily Mail. A royal source described it as a “very sweet moment.”

The Mail reported that while most members of the royal family “breathed a sigh of relief” that Harry wasn’t at the event, Charles seemed “genuinely quite disappointed that he didn’t stay.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to Meghan’s home state after stepping back from their royal roles in January 2020. Buckingham Palace announced in April that Harry would attend the coronation ceremony, and Meghan would not.

Prince Harry reportedly landed in California at 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, rushing home so he could be there on Archie’s birthday itself. Archie’s birthday party was “low-key” and featured a lemon cake made by Meghan using fruit from their Montecito garden, the Mail on Sunday reported, adding that some of the couple’s celebrity friends were thought to have attended the “small, intimate gathering,” as well as Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland.

The couple’s daughter, Princess Lilibet, who was born last year, was not mentioned in the news reports, but it is believed that she also joined in the family celebrations.