Skip to main content

One of the questions leading up to King Charles III’s coronation on May 6 was about where Prince Harry would be seated since he is no longer a working royal. It was reported that everything from the duke’s arrival at the ceremony to his seating was “meticulously crafted” to make sure there were no awkward encounters with his father or brother.

Harry was seated in the third row next to the York family but his view was blocked thanks to a “gigantic plume” in his aunt Princess Anne’s hat and apparently, the king knew that would be the case.

Prince Harry, who Princess Anne blocked with her plume, as well as other members of the royal family at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla
Prince Harry, Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence, as well as other members of the royal family at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla | Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Ex-employee says king knew Harry would be seated behind Anne and her ‘gigantic plume’

For her brother’s coronation ceremony, Princess Anne wore her military uniform underneath a velvet green cloak. She paired her look with a black hat which had a huge red feather in the center. The large plume would block the view of anyone seated behind the princess in Westminster Abbey and that person ended up being Harry.

Paul Burrell, who worked as the late Queen Elizabeth‘s personal footman for several years before moving to Princess Diana and Charles’ household, explained that the king knew exactly where his youngest son would be sitting during the ceremony.

In an interview with Spin Genie, Burrell said: “I felt that’s been organized by the Lord Chamberlain’s department. There’s a massive seating plan where everybody has a pin and it’s been passed by the king so nobody can say it’s anyone else’s fault because he has the final say.

“The king knew where his second son would be sitting, right behind Princess Anne and that gigantic plume in her hat, which I thought was divine intervention in many ways. She was blocking his view for most of the ceremony.”

While Harry attended the ceremony alone, Burrell believes that Meghan watched the coronation from the Sussexes’ home in California.

“I’m sure she must have because her husband was there, and she would want to see what her husband was doing and surely she’d show the children,” Burrell opined. “Archie is old enough now to be able to understand ‘Oh that’s papa on the television.’ I’m sure that Meghan did watch it.”

Meghan was blocked as well during another royal event

Members of the royal family at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral
Members of the royal family at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral | Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Related

Prince Harry Was Doing Something Bizarre Behind Princess Anne During the ‘Building Tension’ at Coronation, According to Body Language Expert

Harry being blocked from view had many royal watchers recalling when his wife was blocked months earlier during another major event.

Meghan’s face was partially obscured by a large yellow candle during the TV coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Sept. 19, 2022. The duchess was seated in the second row next to Harry’s cousin, Princess Beatrice, and many of the photos and camera angles showing the thick candle in front of Meghan during the service went viral.

Best in Entertainment