Prince Harry was ‘preoccupied’ with the coronation seating chart in negotiations

You can just tell that the British media and Buckingham Palace are all so happy that they get to write about and talk about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this week. Like, there’s genuine glee from all of the old-fart commentators and reporters – they’re drunk on Sussex coverage, which belies the fact that the Sussexes’ attendance was always the most interesting, newsworthy and gossip-worthy part of this whole coronation fiasco. The palace is pleased that they get to leak like a sieve about what was going on behind-the-scenes when it came to Prince Harry negotiating his appearance. While he wanted to attend the Chubbly to honor his father, he obviously wanted to get some guarantees in advance. I would imagine security was a big part of the negotiations, but right now, no one is saying that. They’re just leaking – without context – that Harry was immensely preoccupied with the seating arrangements.

Prince Harry delayed replying to the invitation to the Coronation because he was engaged in ‘transatlantic ping pong’ and was ‘preoccupied’ by where he would have to sit, sources have indicated. It was one of the reasons he was so late in confirming his decision to attend the crowning of his father King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

Neither Buckingham Palace nor a legal representative for the Duke of Sussex responded to a request for comment today. But more than one source has confirmed to the Mail that there have been ‘extensive discussions’ between London and California over the issue.

One said: ‘Harry’s side was keen to find out, presumably because they wanted to rubber-stamp it, what the seating plan at the Abbey is. There’s been extensive back and forth about who they [Harry and Meghan] would be sitting behind if they came. And who would be behind them.’

Harry was apparently quite preoccupied by this particular detail, the source said.

Another source added: ‘This is true. There has been a lot of questions on detail for the Abbey.’

Publications with links to the Sussexes have suggested that Harry had a list of questions for the palace about what would happen if he attended and wanted certain ‘assurances’, but did not detail what they might be.

[From The Daily Mail]

The palace isn’t leaking Harry’s list of questions or detailing the assurances he needed because it would make the palace and King Charles look even worse. Harry knows his father and the institution well – Harry knew that he had to put it in writing that if he was being seated next to Prince Andrew, Harry would not come. Harry knew that if wasn’t diligent in the negotiations, they would “forget” to give him security during the visit. The fact that Harry knows Charles is a dogsh-t father who will screw him over constantly… yeah, it doesn’t make Charles look good.

I also wonder if Harry cared so much about the seating because he didn’t want to be anywhere near his brother. I think that would make a lot of sense, and go a long way towards explaining why William is furiously briefing the rota about how he won’t even look at or speak to Harry.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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78 Responses to “Prince Harry was ‘preoccupied’ with the coronation seating chart in negotiations”

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  1. ThatsNotOkay says:

    It’s also probably part of the reason why Meghan ain’t coming. They wanted to be away from Andrew and the Cambridges, maybe even Sophie and her lout. But the biggest issue was they didn’t want to be seated in the back of the bus. For Harry, maybe he couldn’t care less. But for Meghan and all of Black America, it was a non-starter.

    • Robert Phillips says:

      Actually I think Harry would want to be seated in the back. Near an exit. His car can pull up. He can slip in and have his seat. Then afterwards his security can pull the car up and then he can slip out. And dissapear from England. Plus that wouldn’t give the tabloids any good photo’s to run stories about.

    • Cara says:

      They probably wanted Meghan to serve as a bathroom attendant. Shouldn’t a monarchy be representative of the best qualities of a country? Why is it that such a small percentage of Brits (way less than 50%) think it is time to end the monarchy and be rid of this parasitic Windsor gang of thugs and miscreants??

  2. MsIam says:

    I agree, Harry wouldn’t want to be seated near WanK or Andrew. But I think Harry would be able to sit near the Wails and Andrew for a couple of hours if necessary. The man did go to a war zone, remember? If anyone was crying and complaining it would be the DoLittles.

    • Christine says:

      Agreed.

      Harry is a grown up, Salty Isle, I know it must be hard to recognize a royal who acts like a grown up, try to take deep breaths.

  3. SH says:

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Harry wanted to make sure they weren’t going to play games like sitting Harry and potentially Meghan next to Andrew, which could happen with the line of succession. Setting Harry up to be pictured with unsavory characters is a game the palace would play because it would also feed tabloid desires.

    • SaraTor says:

      Harry would be smart to ensure the coronation didn’t become a public punishment for his “disloyalty”, which seems to be his crime according to his family. Having the tabloids crow about his humiliation in being seated by Andrew or in the nosebleed section is exactly what the Royals would do if they could. Hopefully he also got seated by friendly family, like Eugenie.

  4. Snuffles says:

    Yeah, I’m sure Harry wanted security assurances, and assurances that he wouldn’t be anywhere near Andrew, Will or Kate. I also wonder if they’re negotiations about family portraits. I could see the courtiers trying to get Harry to pose for a family picture without his wife and kids and Harry flat out refused.

    On another note, I love that picture of Charlotte staring at Harry in fascination. She was probably wondering what was to terrible about him that upset Mummy and Pa so much. If I recall, she also tried to get a good look at Meghan outside the church and Kate snatched her back.

    • Dutch says:

      I’ve said a couple of times I’m sure H&M wanted every detail of their participation agreed to and IN WRITING so they could have receipts when the inevitable “the Sussexes went rogue during the Chubbly” narrative began.

    • Jais says:

      I actually thought charlotte was trying to look at Meghan in that picture. I’d imagine she’s fascinated by them both. As in, who are these terrible people I keep hearing about and why do they just seem normal?

      • CJ says:

        That makes me sad because if she does hear about them, it’s probably because her father is screaming incandescently about them to his wife and no child should have to grow up in that environment.

      • PrincessK says:

        Yes, that crossed my mind too.
        As they get older they will become more inquisitive, and become exposed to ‘chatter’ that their school mates will bring up.
        Willy and Katie will have questions to answer and I wonder if they will answer those questions with maturity.

    • Becks1 says:

      I never picked up on this before, but does it seem sort of weird that Charlotte sat next to Harry and not Kate? I’m trying to think of their seating arrangements at other events with the children and it seems its usually W, George, Charlotte, and then Kate. But I can’t think of where I would have seen this seating arrangement in a church if not for the funeral at WA.

      • Snuffles says:

        I’m sure both William AND Harry didn’t want Kate next to him going all moon-eyed over him and pretending she’s peace maker again like at Philip’s funeral. That’s why William motioned for Kate to get out of the way to let Harry and Meghan in the pew first.

    • Kimmee says:

      I think she wanted to talk to him but didn’t know if he wanted to. Plus, she knew to be quiet at a funeral although she slipped a little. Lol. She seems chatty. I hope she gets to make her own path.

  5. equality says:

    There might be many of the royals he doesn’t wish to sit near. I’d have Mike Tindall, W&K, and PA on my definitely not list. I’d also throw in no bowing down to C&C and getting paid back for FC.

    • Kristen from MA says:

      Is there an issue with Mike? He and Zara stood with and spoke to M&H outside of the jubilee service.

      • notasugarhere says:

        You mean the part where Mike publicly said he (and other members of the family) wanted to beat Harry to a pulp?

      • Jaded says:

        Tindall called Prince Harry a “bellend” during the Jubbly celebrations. If you don’t know what bellend means, it’s slang the head of a penis. It’s used in the UK as an insult for someone being a jerk or acting stupidly.

      • Kristen from MA says:

        @notsugarhere @Jaded

        I obviously didn’t know about any of that. For Mike to act friendly to his face and then say shit like that makes him as especially big POS. I would hope that Zara would box his ear for that.

      • Typical Virgo says:

        @Kristen from MA- I think that sometimes, in this blog, because a lot of the commenters here are follow H&M’s lives very, very, very closely (I must admit I’m one of them!) and know every detail of every public moment in their lives, when someone DOESNT know the same level of detail, commenters here sometimes assume that the other person DOES have the same amount of info, but is passively aggressively informing everyone that they don’t believe the H&M version, by feigning ignorance? Does that make sense? When in fact not EVERYONE follows H&M as closely and might genuinely NOT know all the details and anyone who doesn’t would have seen H&M standing with Z&M and would have assumed the 4 were cool. Why wouldn’t they? I guess the moral of the story is that commenters here maybe shouldn’t make certain assumptions about other, maybe newer commenters, from the get.
        Also, heres another example of the animosity coming from Z&M; I know this is fairly old news, there was Zara Tindell’s INSANELY, OPENLY rude, contemptful, and disgusted expressions during most of Harry and Meghan’s wedding, or at least the parts that featured the black preacher and the black gospel singers.
        What’s worse, a few months later, at Eugene’s wedding, Zara actually had the nerve to admonish Harry for all the “screaming” during his wedding (I think she was referring to the black preacher).

      • Barb Mill says:

        Are you kidding Mike was totally rude to Harry. He wouldn’t acknowledge him.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Given the sheer amount of t r o l l activity on here recently, longer-time commenters are wary of giving oxygen.

  6. PC says:

    This is precisely why I will not be watching these shenanigans. This family and institution can’t seem to make this about Charles. Everything is clickbait about Harry and Meghan. This is a one ring circus. It’s QEII’s funeral part two.

    • Well Wisher says:

      I may not be able to change your mind, but watch it so you can refute the company line from the royal households and the media.

      • notasugarhere says:

        That can be done later through clips posted by people like CB or SussexSquad. That way, it cuts out giving any clicks to the official proceedings.

  7. Amy Bee says:

    I mean the press is trying to make Harry look bad with this but it makes sense for him to have some guarantees from the Palace before agreeing to come. I don’t think he wants a repeat of the treatment he got at the Queen’s funeral.

    • Becks1 says:

      It makes sense for guarantees, and it especially makes sense in light of the other story today about Kate wanting Meghan “in the back.”

      My guess is Harry probably just wanted assurances that he was seated in accordance with his rank and place in the line of succession, which seems reasonable to me given the overall context here.

      except maybe the issue was that he did not want to have to sit next to Kate, LMAO.

      • Lucy says:

        I think it makes sense if he wants to make sure he’s not framed in pictures with Andrew. If there’s an angle that can have just the two of them in the shot, you know it will be used endlessly to equate the two. That would be my main concern anyway. I don’t know what he cares about it otherwise.

    • KaMo says:

      Mike Tindall apparently has as much class and decorum as Meghan’s father and her half-siblings.

      • blue says:

        Mike is a thug, born & bred. Not an asset to the family but Zara has zero taste. She’s dickmatized & didn’t think beyond that. Anne didn’t pass brains down to her daughter. Mike is now Will’s top suck-up & brown noser.

  8. hangonamin says:

    hmm more like he wanted nowhere near William rather than Andrew. I think they hate each other that much right now. As for security, that’s been beat like a dead horse and honestly is an ongoing thing. I think that was important, but I honestly think seating was just as important to him. He’s literally going for appearances and knows the media will have a field day with it. I think he really really does not want to sit next to his brother or Kate or made to look like they (H+M) would be behind them.

    • Kingston says:

      No……….theres no one who read Spare and who watched H’s interviews, that believes H is out there wasting his energy on ‘hating’ that pathetic, rage-filled excuse of a brother.

      Its more likely that at this point, H feels sorry for bullyboywilly.

      H has already publicly acknowledged and accepted the fact that it might take years for his ‘brother’ and ‘father’ to forgive him for not sparing them in the telling of his own story. But his first responsibility is to himself.

      H is on record saying: “Ill always protect my family; now I have a family to protect.”

      PS:
      Dont forget: H has 400 more pages of his memoir which remains unpublished but undestroyed.

      Jus’ sayin’

  9. Well Wisher says:

    William is desperate to regain the unearned awe and trust that Harry had for him as a brother, not to mention the love.

    His behaviour due to his underachieving envy and jealousy has made it impossible to even trust him in the future.
    Meanwhile the habitual leaking has continued unabated.

    How would one describe the palace and media’s behaviour beyond consistently parasitically as a negative??

    Predicitable as a compliment??

    In terms of seating, it is imperative that Harry not be subjected to the apparent rudeness and antisocial antics that would be explained away as ‘snubs’.

    Why would one leak this??
    Why publish this??

  10. TigerMcQueen says:

    Like the so-called “bullying,” the lack of details absolutely shows you that said details make the palace look bad, not Harry or Meghan.

  11. notasugarhere says:

    The more the courtiers leak, the more Harry reconsiders attending. Charles better figure that out quickly.

    • Amelia says:

      there’s no way, short of a medical emergency or catastrophe, that he can back out now. that would look just as bad for him as for the monarchy.

      • notasugarhere says:

        He is a free man. If at any point he chooses not to attend, he doesn’t attend. If he decides five minutes before the show starts that he doesn’t want to attend, he is free to make that decision. It doesn’t make him look bad, it only looks his abusive birth family look bad.

      • Polo says:

        Yeah I don’t see him backing out after announcing he was going! That would be a mess.
        I think he probably wanted things written down so what happened at the funeral didn’t happen here.
        It’s why in his press release he said he’s only going to the ceremony so the speculation stops.
        Whether he goes to the private party who knows. Whether he ends up having to sit next to Andrew or will/Kate who knows? Will the courtiers actually follow through with any agreements made?
        That’s probably part of the reason Meghan didn’t want to come. Having to deal with all this BS and constant leaks.
        Not putting any expectations on this because that’s how people end up getting pissed at Harry or Meghan..
        We only know what we read in these tabloids.

      • notasugarhere says:

        If he changes his mind five minutes before, it isn’t his mess to solve. If any of the agreements, if there are such things, are violated? He walks and the blame is on those who defaulted on the agreement not on him.

      • Christine says:

        What notasugarhere said. Harry is not beholden to anyone in England. He knows where his family is, and it’s not England.

        The royals showing their asses is just gravy. This is always how they were going to play it, anyone who has been paying attention can see it.

    • Jaded says:

      Harry is a man of his word, he won’t back out. His allegiance isn’t to his father per se, it’s to his country and his military compatriots, and he is showing his utmost respect to them by attending.

      • Blue Nails Betty says:

        This.

        Also, what many seem to forget is Harry is still a Counsellor of State for the monarchy. He most likely feels duty bound to stand witness to this event.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Let us also not forget that talk is Charles is trying to remove Harry as a CS, which is part of why Frogmore Cottage was removed. No longer has a home in the UK, no longer qualifies as ‘domiciled in the UK’.

        Harry knows more than we do. If he has iron-clan requirements and they are violated? Yes I do believe he’d walk *if that is what he thinks is the best thing to do*

  12. Lizzie says:

    The never complain, never explain brigade are complaining and explain, still.

  13. SussexFan says:

    As double-dealing as Charles is, Harry should be prepared to walk if he doesn’t get what he wanted. Next to or behind Andrew or William? Walk, Harry.

    • Amelia says:

      treated as a spare and invited as a spare. would it be any surprise they make him walk behind andrew and william? think that’s a given. they want him to come simply to “collect” the prince for the photos. harry knows that and he’s made his decision. but that’s also why he’s very insistent on where he is placed bc he knows there’s potential to humiliate him.

      • Couch Potato says:

        The queen, Pedrew’s mum is dead. He’s not the son of the monarch anymore, while Harry now is. According to their protocol, Harry walks, and sits before Pedrew, but behind Willnot.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Or if these types of things keep getting leaked? Harry rescinds the RSVP.

  14. Jais says:

    Also, preoccupied is doing a lot here. With the way the courtiers blow stuff up, he literally just could have asked what is the seating plan? The courtiers would have freaked out, thinking how dare he ask about the seating plan so weeks go by and they don’t give him an answer. They inquire if he’s coming and he again asks so what’s the plan? Now, they’re leaking he is preoccupied which um okay, sure, if wanting to know the details is preoccupied then I guess he is.

  15. Julie says:

    Harry can include this updated family situation in the paperback edition.

  16. aquarius64 says:

    Harry is still counselor of state despite losing Frogmore. https://www.royal.uk/counsellors-state#:~:text=Counsellors%20of%20State%20are%20appointed%20from%20among%20the%20four%20adults,of%20York%20and%20Princess%20Beatrice. Because of that Harry probably went went hard on the negotiations. As CoS he may have been constitutionally obligated to go to the Chubbly.

    • Kimmee says:

      I assumed him and megan was suppose to go based on rank. If we factor in royal vs non-royal then megan has an excuse to bow out. Its also why I thought the kids would have to be present. Maybe not in the room but somewhere on the premises.

  17. Bee says:

    They’ve misspelled “security.”

    • QuiteContrary says:

      Yeah, this. If Harry wanted to know precisely where he’d be seated, it was probably at least in part so he could inform his security team.

      He’s a veteran who saw active combat. He likes to be prepared for his surroundings.

  18. Eurydice says:

    BS – any seating that wouldn’t be appropriate to his rank would be a major discussion point for the tabloids.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Given the line of succession, Harry would be seated next to Andrew. Maybe that is what he’s trying to avoid, being in camera frame with Andrew at any time.

  19. Noor says:

    Leaking the details of negotiation to make Harry looks calculating only backfired. How pathetic and desperate that the King of UK has to negotiate seating arrangements for his son to attend his coronation.

  20. Well Wisher says:

    How insecure!

  21. Mary Pester says:

    Harry knows how his father and brother work. He has seen first hand the way they lie and twist things to suit their own ends in the press, they can’t sit him near Tindal for fear of Harry calling the thug out, they can’t sit him near William because Harry might forget he’s a gentleman and punch the rage monster on his nose. He won’t have Kate simpering next to him, nor would he have Andrew anywhere near him, but me, I would love to see him either sat with princess Anne or better yet, SAT WITH ROSE, oooo can you imagine the incandescence 😊

  22. Kel says:

    Y’all imagine if Meghan was included in this. Phew!
    They now have no new stories to invent about how Meghan blinked or was snubbed, etc.
    All they have is the fake talking point of she might have been booed when both Charles and William have been booed.

    Harry is for sure gonna get abused.
    Every action or non action will be dissected and analyzed. I feel sorry for Harry but I kinda hope the palace goes back on their word so Harry really gets that these people only want him for optics. I hope he gets the closure he needs..

    • Well Wisher says:

      All he has to do is have a poker face like his grandmother, they’ll move on to the next gossip.
      Good luck Kate.

  23. Is That So? says:

    “Neither Buckingham Palace nor a LEGAL representative for the Duke of Sussex responded to a request for comment today.”

    I’m glad that Prince Harry’s negotiations with his “forgiving” father seems to be contractual and going through lawyers. This way if his requirements aren’t met he can either bounce, and be reimbursed for his travel or sue.

    So, did ‘the never explain/never complain’ crew really mean to make public that what is going on with Prince Harry and the Linen Windsor is about a legal contract, and Prince Harry won’t take them at their word?

  24. Blue Nails Betty says:

    Charles: You will be seated next to Andrew.

    Harry: I’d rather sit in “Iceland”.

    Charles: Next to Andrew.

    Harry: “Iceland”.

    Charles: Andrew.

    Harry: I have 400 more pages.

    Charles: *sighs* How about the second row next to Eugenie?

    Harry: That will be fine.

  25. Kimmee says:

    He needs to know the seating list. If I may play their game.
    “Prince Harry grandson of a queen and grandson of a war hero prince, cannot be expected to sit with those that sat about to tarnish him. He must know what type of creatures are to be beside him. He also will not promote a mistress and her issue.”

  26. Saucy&Sassy says:

    I wonder if Harry wanted to make sure that he was seated with the non working royals, which means he can sit with Eugenie and Jack, etc. I wonder if Harry wanted to make sure that the photos did not include him. I keep thinking of the photos where the were seated behind Chuck in Church, so Chuck an Harry were always seen together.

    I don’t think Harry cares that much about seating according to rank. I do think he cares about not sitting beside any Parker-Bowles.

    I’m sure that security topped the list of Harry’s requirements. He perhaps gets to arrive and leave when he choses to. He also perhaps got something in writing about getting money back for the amount paid for Frogmore Cottage. He perhaps gets to approve where they seated him–a very smart thing to do on his part. There may be more on his list of requirements. Why do I think that a gag on the details, etc., is included in the contract? We’ll hear there was a contract, but not what is in it. I find it surprising that they’re talking about the seating plan. Perhaps because this was asked for very early on before negotiations started.

    • SussexFan says:

      @SaucyandSassy: “I don’t think Harry cares that much about seating according to rank. I do think he cares about not sitting beside any Parker-Bowles.”
      They are the least of Harry’s problems. Foremost is staying away from the likes of raging Will and no neck Mike Tindall so that they don’t even attempt to bloody him up, then Andrew.
      Charles and his yes-guys are not the kind to hit all keys at once; they like to drag out other problems rather than focus on getting rid of those problems. I hope that Harry does get something in writing. What, exactly, is anyone’s guess until we hear from him.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        SussexFan, for some reason it didn’t occur to me they would seat him anywhere near Fails. I think because Fails is going to have a role of some sort I just assumed he would be seated separately. My bad. I can’t imagine that Fails wants Harry anywhere near him. If that’s the case, sitting with Eugenie and Beatrice just makes sense. They go on and on about non working royals, so that would make some sense. I don’t think Harry would be seated next to Tindall. I believe that if the idiot decides to make an aggressive move against Harry, it will be the last one he makes against him. I have a feeling after being in the Army Harry is more than capable of taking care of himself.

  27. Is That So? says:

    “Neither Buckingham Palace nor a LEGAL representative for the Duke of Sussex responded to a request for comment today.”

    I’m glad that Prince Harry’s negotiations with his “forgiving” father seems to be contractual and going through lawyers. This way if his requirements aren’t met he can either bounce, and be reimbursed for his travel or sue.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Is That So? Haven’t you heard KFC is ‘too busy’ to see or talk to Harry. The poor sod must talk to him through intermediaries. I agree with you that Harry using an attorney is the icing on the cake. I guess they now know that Harry will not be messing around with them in future. They’ll talk to him through his lawyer. I love that for them.