Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘Were Never Going to Be Invited’ to King Charles III’s Trooping the Colour, Royal Expert Claims

Will they or won't they? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's attendance at this year's Trooping the Colour is unlikely, according to royal historian Gareth Russell.

"I don't think they need to be invited," the Do Let's Have Another Drink! author exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 13. "Not as a kind of insult to them, but you know, it's a long trip to make from California for the sake of Trooping the Colour. ... I think this is one of the events where the Sussexes were never going to be invited."

Russell reminded Us that Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, are "not working royals anymore," so don't have the same pressure to attend these traditional events. The expectations were different, however, for King Charles III's coronation.

"I don't suppose either party particularly wants to start the [back and forth] again," Russell added, referring to the widespread speculation about whether the Archewell cofounders would travel to the U.K. to see Charles, 74, be crowned. (Harry ultimately attended the May celebration without his wife.)

The first annual birthday parade of Charles' reign will take place on Saturday, June 17, though his actual birthday isn't until November. He has been present for the traditional ceremony in London since he was a child, first celebrating his grandfather King George VI and later for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 at age 96.

"Obviously, the coronation was a much bigger event — a generational event, in terms of significance for the royal family," Russell told Us, adding that it shouldn't "necessarily be seen as an indicator of sentiment either way" if Harry and Meghan aren't invited to Trooping the Colour.

The couple announced in January 2020 that they planned to step back from their senior royal duties and moved to the U.S. — where they're raising son Archie, 4, and daughter Lilibet, 2 — later that year. In February 2021, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the activists would not return to their working roles.

Since the duo's exit, they have flown overseas a handful of times. While Harry traveled solo for the April 2021 funeral of Prince Philip and for his father's coronation, he was joined by Meghan at Elizabeth's funeral last fall. (The pair were already in the U.K. for another obligation when news broke of the queen's death.)

Just a few weeks after he attended Charles' coronation, the Spare author was recently across the pond once again to testify in court for his case against Mirror Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, whom he accused of using illegal tactics to obtain information on him through the years. The media company has denied the allegations.

Harry began his testimony in London on June 6, but Russell told Us the visit abroad didn't include a check-in with Charles or brother Prince William. "I think he hasn't — from what we can tell — spent any time one-on-one with the family," he added. "It is worth pointing out that the visits have been very short, to the point where the judge was a little perplexed."

Russell explained that the purpose of Harry's presence in the U.K. is "to take the stand for what he considers to be an important matter" rather than to stop by the palace. "I don't think there's been time and potentially inclination to see his family," he told Us.

The speedy timeline of Harry's recent visits might indicate that he's not "wildly keen" to reconnect with his relatives — "and possibly vice versa," Russell added. "I mean, the dust had barely settled on the tiaras by the time Prince Harry had left for the coronation," he joked.

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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi