- Dr. Tessa Dunlop feels that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be permitted to stand out during the Coronation.
- Historical precedent doesn’t bode well,” Dr Dunlop has claimed.
- Expect very few to stand on ceremony for the Duchess of Sussex.
A critic claims that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be cast in the shadow of Prince William and Kate Middleton at King Charles’ Coronation.
Dr. Tessa Dunlop feels that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be permitted to stand out during the Coronation. Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales will be free to remind the people that they are the future King and Queen.
“Causing maximum angst is the vexed question of the Sussexes; will they attend the big day and if so in what capacity? Historical precedent doesn’t bode well,” Dr Dunlop has claimed.
The expert continued: “After his own abdication and fall from grace Edward VIII attended neither the 1937 coronation of his brother George VI nor his niece Elizabeth’s in 1953.”
“However in our changed times with a father-King who wants both his sons by his side, expect to see Harry there but minus a coronet and robe,” she added.
“With the exception of Prince William, at this Coronation peers of the realm will not be paying homage to the new King so it is unlikely that Harry will have to go down on bended knee. Likewise if Meghan attends, any Coronation finery will be entirely her own. Expect very few to stand on ceremony for the Duchess of Sussex.”
Following the death of King George V, King Edward VIII ascended to the throne in January 1936. When challenged to choose between the two, Edward chose to resign as the United Kingdom’s head of state in December 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson.
The couple married in 1937 and were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Windsor, but Edward did not retain his power and prestige.
“In contrast, history suggests that working royals will stand out,” Dr Dunlop told the Mirror. Meghan and Harry have warned that they are on the verge of becoming’very unhappy and miserable.
“A similar scenario for the Princess of Wales and her three children is likely – William and his offspring are next in line to the throne and coronations deliberately emphasise the order of precedence and succession. Like it or not this state occasion is all about royal hierarchy. Visual messaging through both costume and carriage will remind us who the future King and Queen are.”
