Experts told MailOnline today that King Charles’ decision to include a family photo with Harry, Meghan, William, Kate and their children in Buckingham Palace’s official coronation program is an ‘olive branch’ in California’s direction.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson took the smiling photo to celebrate the monarch’s 70th birthday in November 2018 – six months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex married in Windsor.
The rare private photo cozy in the gardens at Clarence House shows Charles with Prince George on his knee, Camilla cuddling with Princess Charlotte and then Duchess of Cambridge holding Prince Louis.
Behind the seat, Prince William stands next to his brother, who puts his arm around a laughing Meghan. The picture of the happy family belies the fact that the relationships between the six adults were falling apart behind the scenes.
Meghan and Kate had a falling out over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress and Harry was privately accusing his family of not being sufficiently supportive of his new wife, whom he married in May of that year.
Royal commentator Phil Dampier said experts said the monarch’s choice of such a happy picture was an attempt to show that Meghan and Harry remain beloved family members.
Biographer Tom Power said the photo choice is an attempt to ‘hide the truth’ about how Megxit tore it apart, while commentator Richard Fitzwilliams claimed the decision was simply to avoid being accused of leaving the couple, because Harry and Meghan are ‘deep’. aware of what they perceive as an insult.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson snapped a rare and comforting private family photo to celebrate the King’s 70th birthday in 2018.
Experts said Charles wants his coronation to help heal wounds in the royal family
Dampier told MailOnline: ‘Using the image including Harry and Meghan is another olive branch from the monarch and an attempt to show they are still beloved members of the family.
We know, of course, that relationships are already starting to get tense, but it’s a happy image that conveys harmony and unity.
Most of all, it reminds us of what could have been and how incredibly sad the way things unfolded.
Harry and Meghan could have been royal superstars and helped modernize the monarchy and move it forward into the depths of the century.
But the now downsized monarchy is struggling with numbers and much depends on William and Kate.
The King hopes Harry’s presence at the coronation will be the beginning of the healing process, but I don’t see the two days that Harry will be here as an opportunity for any meaningful peace talks.
“The King will be so busy that William will not care to speak to his brother.”
Royal biographer and investigative journalist Tom Power told MailOnline the photo selection from 2018 comes from the right place – but it’s also a ‘sad’ reminder of the rift between him and William and his youngest son.
He said: ‘Charles is desperate to preside over a successful coronation. He will sacrifice everything to hide the truth. Posting the photo only reminds us of a sadly lost opportunity – but Charles is certainly not to blame.”
Richard Fitzwilliams said: ‘The Palace launched the official Coronation Memorial Program yesterday. One essay extolling the King’s virtues illustrates a family portrait – immediately after the Sussex marriage in May.
They (the Sussexes) are fully aware of what they see as an insult, and are said to have panicked when their picture did not appear among those shown on the Queen’s Christmas broadcast in 2019.
This is a happy reminder of times bygone, when, after a wedding that stunned the world, they were considered the contemporary face of royalty.
Harry’s reported schedule for when he attends the coronation does not allow olive branches to be accepted, even if they are accepted. It can of course change. But they want the royal family to apologize for the way they have been treated, especially Meghan. This they will not get.
Historic: The cover of The Coronation Souvenir, an 84-page £10 publication, is a uniquely illustrated keepsake that tells the life stories of Their Majesties and provides a preview of Coronation Day, including the service
It came as the Archbishop of Canterbury said the king would be anointed at his coronation with full knowledge of his “difficult” task as king and in recognition of how he “shared our human foibles and frailties”.
In the official coronation memorial programme, Archbishop Justin Welby said Charles will trade his ‘robes of status and honour’ for a simple white shirt of private anointing during the May 6 ceremony.
He wrote of how the historic occasion would be one of ‘grandeur and pomp’ but also, in the midst of ceremony, one of ‘stillness and simplicity’ when the monarch would be anointed with holy oil in private under a canopy – in its most sacred part of the coronation.
The archbishop said the anointing of the king is the only part of the coronation ceremony that the public will not see and will be “a special moment between a new king and the king of kings”.
Elizabeth II was also anointed privately as was customary, wearing a linen dress pleated over her coronation gown, while seated under a golden canopy.
The archbishop said that the king, dressed in a simple white robe, would come before God as a servant, “knowing that the task is difficult and that he needs help.”
And he added, “Knowing that even as a king he is one of the people, and that even if he has a certain role to play, he shares with us our human weaknesses and weaknesses.”
He added that the service will move into the culmination moment as the mood turns into celebration.
Prince Harry will attend the monarch’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6, but will not appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after that, as the honor is strictly reserved for “members of the royal family.”
Buckingham Palace officials have revealed that the coronation course of King Charles III is about a quarter the length of that of Queen Elizabeth II 70 years ago.
The Archbishop described how coronations “often carried with them the hopes and prayers of nations for peace, justice, and the common good.”
The £10, 84-page publication is a uniquely illustrated souvenir that tells the stories of their Majesties’ lives and provides a preview of Coronation Day, including the service.
The program is published by Publications UK, who also published the Official Platinum Jubilee Program and the Diamond Jubilee Program of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is now on sale at WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose and independent newsagents.
A percentage of the high street sales will be split between two charities: the Royal Collection Trust and SSAFA, an armed forces charity.
King Charles III – who adores anything with eggs and cheese – has developed a ‘coronation quiche’ to celebrate coronation
Other details have also emerged about the celebrations, as it is scheduled to be celebrated on the eve of the coronation with a sparkling reception at Buckingham Palace attended by foreign kings.
Princess Beatrix, former Queen of the Netherlands, has confirmed her presence at the event, which Charles is expected to host, along with her granddaughter and heir to the Dutch throne, Catharina Amalia, Princess of Orange.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will not be among the guests, who are likely to include British royalty, presidents and prime ministers from around the world, but they will be in Westminster Abbey to see Charles and Camilla be crowned.
Meanwhile, with just over two weeks to go until the May 6 ceremony, it is revealed that the King and Queen have personally chosen the coronation quiche as their festive recipe.
Seventy years after they created coronation chicken for Elizabeth II’s coronation, Charles and Camilla chose a personal favorite as their recommended dish for their big coronation lunches.
The recipe is by Royal Chef Mark Flanagan and features spinach, broad beans and tarragon.
(tags for translation) Daily Mail
