We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
King Charles is struggling to deal with two “ticking time bombs” ahead of his Coronation, a royal commentator has claimed. Daniela Elser mentioned the blistering claims and attacks against the Royal Family made over the past few weeks by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as possible future revelations linked to the Crown as elements that could disrupt the Coronation in May. Similarly, Prince Andrew reported desire to try and overturn his out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre could overshadow the sacred event. Ms Elser cited royal biographer Angela Levin, who believes Andrew’s possible new legal bid and the Sussexes’ documentary and book release mean “Coronation plans will absolutely be thrown into chaos”.
In an op-ed for News.com.au, Ms Elser wrote: “One of the big unknowns in all of this is what the hell is going to happen with the King’s Coronation. It has been widely reported that the Duke and Duchess, despite their pariah status, will be invited to the big day but whether they will attend is the multimillion-dollar question. (Perhaps quite literally if they deign to bring cameras with them.)
“If they did jet in, could or would the Sussexes be given entrée into the royal inner sanctum given that photos taken inside Buckingham Palace (without Queen Elizabeth’s permission, according to the Telegraph) ended up splashed across screens for Netflix subscribers?
“What both this and the Andrew situation reveal is that Charles has no real idea how to handle these ticking time bombs.”
The King, however, has only weeks to deal with these issues, Ms Elser noted, as the “Coronation [is] inching ever closer”.
She added: “As the Palace gets ready for this once-in-a-lifetime moment, the pressure is mounting for someone to try and find solutions, and fast.”
FOLLOW THIS LIVEBLOG FOR UPDATES ON THE ROYAL FAMILY…
Archewell is the organisation founded by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, following their royal exit in 2020.
Harry and Meghan‘s company Archewell have lost another two key members of staff – bringing the total number of workers lost since 2018 to 16. Fara Taylor, who is head of the Archewell Productions marketing team, and internal content head Ben Browning are said to be both leaving their roles at the company.
READ MORE HERE
The Duchess of Sussex is “happy to let” her husband Harry take “centre stage” following the publication of his memoir.
Meghan Markle has been “keeping her head down” following the bombshell release of Prince Harry’s memoir earlier this month. The royal couple have faced mounting criticism since stepping down from duties two years ago. But as Harry promotes his book, Meghan is working on “upcoming projects”, it has been claimed.
READ MORE HERE
King Charles has reportedly asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to broker a deal to allow Harry to attend his Coronation. It has been reported that Charles wants Justin Welby to strike an agreement with his warring sons that would allow Harry and his wife Meghan to attend the Westminster Abbey ceremony in May.
READ MORE HERE
US ambassador to the UK Jane D. Hartley sidestepped a question focused on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as she appeared on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.
Interviewed by the broadcaster’s former political editor, the diplomat discussed her first eight months in her Britan-based role, during which she was able to present her letter of credentials to Queen Elizabeth II, meet the new monarch and see three different Prime Ministers leading the UK.
After asking her guest about the promised US-UK trade deal and the issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, Ms Kuenssberg wanted to hear from Ms Hartley what Americans think of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
She asked: “You’ve been here at an extraordinary time as you said, you were sworn in when the Queen was still alive and you’ve met the new King now.
“There has also been huge attention and discussion of Harry and Meghan’s move to the US. Is there a lot of sympathy for Harry and Meghan in America, do you think?
The ambassador deflected the question, saying she doesn’t like to enter “family dynamics”.
She candidly replied: “I never like to go into family dynamics because I’m from a very big family myself. And you know we never talk publicly about whatever our own tensions – and by the way, I am very close to my family.”
Read the full story here
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been “enjoying” sympathy from the US public after cutting ties with the Royal Family two years ago, royal expert Victoria Arbiter has claimed. But the royal couple “did not expect” the negative criticism of Harry’s bombshell memoir. Ms Arbiter told TalkTV: “It’s very difficult to speak for Harry and Meghan in terms of what their overall objective was with the Netflix docuseries, with the book.
“I think Harry with his book in particular was very keen to get his side of the story across so mission accomplished in that regard.
“He doesn’t hold anything back as anyone who has read the book knows, he’s very willing to share every facet of his life.
“In that regard, I think yes, he has achieved his objective but I don’t think the book was received quite how he was hoping.
“There are people that remain hugely sympathetic to him but there’s been a lot of criticism so, the broader public is talking about him in a way that I think he perhaps didn’t anticipate.”
Read the full story here
Buckingham Palace has released a few details regarding the Coronation and the weekend of celebrations during which the event will take place.
However, officials have remained tight-lipped over the guestlist and whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be among the royals at Westminster Abbey on May 6.
King Charles reportedly thinks the absence of his second son and daughter-in-law would be more disruptive to the event than their presence.
His heir, however, is concerned that, unless Harry’s trip to the UK for the Coronation is tightly scripted, he could steal the limelight, the Mail on Sunday wrote.
The majority of Brits think Prince Harry and his children should be removed from the line of succession, a new poll suggests.
The exclusive Techne poll for the Express found 66 percent of respondents say the Duke of Sussex, Archie and Lilibet should not be in line to the throne.
Just 18 percent said Prince Harry and his two children should maintain their places in the succession in the poll of 1,624 British adults carried out from January 25 to 26. Some 16 percent did not know.
Read the full results here
James Middleton, the brother of the Princess of Wales, shared a heartwarming tribute to his dog Ella as he bid “farewell” to the one who “saved” his life.
Writing for The Telegraph, the Princess of Wales’ brother recalled some of the sweetest memories with the pup.
Ella had been by James’ side for 15 years, and was a companion he credited with helping him when he was facing battles with depression.
Read the tribute here
The Duke of Sussex’s camp has reportedly claimed Prince Harry “resents” being “lumped” together with Prince Andrew.
While the question of the attendance of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at King Charles’s Coronation in May doesn’t appear to have found an answer yet, a source has claimed the Duke of Sussex isn’t happy with reports putting him on the same level as the Duke of York.
While both Dukes are no longer working members of the Firm whose attendance and prominence at the Coronation have yet to be confirmed, the reasons surrounding their decisions to step back are very different.
Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royals in the spring of 2020 after having tried to thrash out a deal with the Royal Family that would grant them to live a life more shielded from media scrutiny.
The Duke of York has not yet resumed his role as senior royal and in January last year he also returned his military and royal patronages.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: “He resents being lumped together with Andrew in the public mind as the two ‘problem Princes’, when he considers the circumstances to be totally different.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s representatives for comment.
King Charles and Princess Anne were spotted heading to St Mary Magdalene Church for the traditional Sunday service this morning.
Brother and sister were greeted by the royal well-wishers they encountered on their way to the chapel.
See the pictures of the royals’ walkabout here
The royals also greeted members of the public as they attended a chapel service before the boat burning took place.
Prince Albert was forced to miss this yearly tradition as he is battling COVID-19 for the third time since 2020.
Read the full story here
While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have “made money” by levelling a series of allegations against the Firm and its members, they have also damaged their image in the US, royal historian Marlene Koenig believes.
The US-based commentator told Express.co.uk: “They need to re-examine what the next step in their life will be, it can’t be all about them and it can’t be all about the Royal Family.
“That’s how they made money. But that’s not a good look.”
Read the full story here
Prince Harry did not realise he was the “butt of a joke” during his media tour after the release of his bombshell memoir.
The Duke of Sussex and his bride Meghan are beginning to lose sympathy from American media due to the constant re-telling of their story since stepping down from royal duties, royal expert Victoria Arbiter has claimed.
She told TalkTV: “I think the media has definitely taken a shift in recent weeks in terms of their coverage of Harry and Meghan.
“Following the Oprah interview, there was a huge amount of sympathy. They made some very startling allegations, particularly concerning race accusations related to the media.
“I think there was a huge amount of sympathy here for everything that they went through but I think having heard the story so many times, the media started to lose a little bit of patience.
“I’m speaking broadly here, not everyone in the media had this reaction but left-leaning publications that were previously team Harry and Meghan no matter what were expressing criticism.”
Read the full story here 
The question of the attendance of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at King Charles’s Coronation in May doesn’t appear to have found an answer yet.
The monarch reportedly believes the Sussexes’ absence from the sacred event to be held at Westminster Abbey would cause a greater distraction than their presence, and he is ready to make concessions to the pair.
Sources have indicated a compromise could see the Firm granting the California-based pair high-profile seating positions at the Abbey or the assurance Harry will retain his titles.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: “Harry’s camp made clear that the idea that he would just attend the Coronation and behave himself but then be stripped of his titles was a total non-starter.
“While he might decide at some point to discard his titles of his own volition, he objects to the idea of being forcibly stripped of them.”
King Charles is reported to be gearing up for a “landmark” BBC interview in which he could speak out about his son Prince Harry for the first time since the release of the Duke’s tell-all memoir ‘Spare’.
Following a series of explosive allegations in his son’s biography Spare and his Netflix documentary with wife Meghan, palace advisors are debating the prospect of the King using his chat to clarify events, it has been reported.
An unnamed insider told the Mirror: “Plans are already up and running for Coronation coverage at the BBC, including the profile on the monarch. It is not the done thing to avoid subjects in interviews, so it makes matters tricky.
“Even one small comment on Harry and Meghan would make worldwide news. It could also prompt a response from Harry, which would be unpredictable, like so much. Everything is very delicate.”
Read the full story here
Good morning from London. I’m Alice Scarsi, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Royal Family. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: alice.scarsi@reachplc.com
See today’s front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive.