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There’s been so much talk recently about if Prince Harry will be invited to and would attend King Charles III’s coronation following the release of the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries and the duke’s memoir Spare.

There’s also been conflicting reports about whether the king and other royals want Harry at the event. We hadn’t heard directly from the monarch though as he hasn’t said a word publicly about his youngest son following Harry’s attacks. That is until Feb. 8, when Charles dropped the old “who?” response when asked about Harry during a visit to East London.

King Charles III meets students and members of the public in Bangladeshi community of Brick Lane
King Charles III meets students and members of the public in Bangladeshi community of Brick Lane | Eddie Mulholland – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry reportedly wants assurances before committing to attend coronation

During an interview with ITV, Prince Harry wouldn’t commit to if he would attend his father’s coronation if invited.

The duke told journalist Tom Bradby: “There’s a lot that can happen between now and then. The door is always open. The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they are willing to sit down and talk about it.”

Harry also wanted his family to apologize to him and Meghan Markle for what happened in the past. The Sussexes have not received any public apology and therefore their coronation attendance looked doubtful. However, reports then circulated that the king enlisted the help of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to try and broker some kind of deal to get Harry and Meghan to travel to the U.K. for the event. Part of that agreement would mean the duke and duchess would have high-profile seats at the ceremony and assurance that they can keep their titles. 

King Charles responds ‘who?’ to ‘bring back Harry’ request

But signs of the strained relationship with the king and his youngest son was obvious when the monarch said “who?” after Harry’s name was mentioned by a royal fan.

Charles greeted students outside of the Stratford campus of the University of East London where he unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion and opened its new hospital and primary care training hub.

Express noted that upon shaking hands, one member of the public asked if he could “bring back Harry?” The king replied: “Who?” Charles then immediately started laughing giving the impression that he was either in a joking mood or trying to laugh off his response after realizing how what he said could be taken.

The king may be stalling any peace talks until after his coronation

Prince Charles, who will have a toned-down coronation that will still "knock your socks off," sitting in the House of Lords chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament
Prince Charles sitting in the House of Lords chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament | ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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While many believed peace talks were going on behind the scenes, royal expert Robert Jobson isn’t buying it. He thinks no such talks have happened yet and will only happen after the coronation because the “world doesn’t revolve around Meghan and Harry.”

“There’s not been much connection, even that [Archbishop of Canterbury Justin] Welby stuff is wide of the mark, there’s a lot of guesswork going on,” Jobson explained (via Newsweek). “My understanding is that there’s been no real contact whatsoever, so I don’t know where a lot of people are getting it from. I’m told that it’s not the case.”

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