Why Prince Harry Didn't Appear with the Royals on Buckingham Palace's Balcony After the Coronation

Prince Harry came to the U.K. for his father King Charles' crowning ceremony, while Meghan Markle stayed in California with their children

Prince Harry did not appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after King Charles' coronation.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, did not join the King, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and other members of the royal family in the iconic box following the historic coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday.

King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, emerged on the terrace of the royal residence after traveling back to the palace in the Gold State Coach. The King and Queen Consort smiled and waved at the cheering crowds gathered below.

Related:King Charles Makes First Buckingham Palace Balcony Appearance of His Reign After Coronation

Prince Harry was last seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Queen Elizabeth's Trooping the Colour birthday parade with his wife, Meghan Markle, in June 2019.

Related:Prince Harry Is All Smiles as He Arrives at Westminster Abbey for King Charles' Coronation

When the couple came to the U.K. for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, they took in the Trooping the Colour procession from the Major General's Office, which overlooks the Horse Guards Parade. The update came after Queen Elizabeth announced that only working royals and some of their children would come out on the balcony to watch the ceremonial flypast overhead.

Before coronation day, it remained unclear whether Prince Harry would join other royals on the palace balcony as he is no longer a working royal. The Duke of Sussex traveled to London to support his father at the crowning ceremony, while Meghan, 41, remained home in California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The May 6 coronation day is also Archie's 4th birthday, and a source previously told PEOPLE they're celebrating a "low-key party" at home.

Related:Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Roles Within the Royal Family Since Their Exit Explained

Though family tensions eventually led Harry and Meghan to step back from their royal roles in 2020, and relations have remained strained since the release of his memoir Spare over the winter, the Duke of Sussex was thought to attend the coronation out of duty and love for his father.

"At the end of the day, he's going to be there for his dad," a close friend recently told PEOPLE.

King Charles' appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation service marks his first as monarch. The British royal family traditionally steps out together on the terrace for special occasions or major milestones, and a crowning ceremony is perhaps the grandest of all.

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The future King Charles, then 4, joined his mother Queen Elizabeth and father Prince Philip on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after her coronation in 1953, and then-Princess Elizabeth, age 11, similarly stepped out with her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and father King George VI after their coronation in 1937.

Like his mother and grandfather before him, King Charles continued nearly a thousand years of royal tradition when he was crowned this morning in Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

"Charles became King Charles the moment his mother died, but the coronation is to do with the job and being the monarch in the eyes of all the people," royal historian Robert Lacey previously told PEOPLE of the significance of the ritual.

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