Coronation guest mistaken as 'Meghan Markle in disguise' speaks out

Famous British composer Sir Karl Jenkins took to social media to explain his presence at King Charles III's coronation on May 6, after netizens accused him of being Meghan Markle in disguise.

Eagle-eyed royal followers who watched the ceremony from their homes questioned the appearance of a man who sat at a prominent place in Westminster Abbey wearing a moustache and eyeglasses. They wondered if the person was actually the Duchess of Sussex in disguise.

That person turned out to be Jenkins, who said he was there because he was involved with the service's musical score. In his own TikTok page, karljenkinsofficial, the composer acknowledged that "there has been a lot of interest" in him since his appearance at King Charles III's coronation.

"I was there because I'd written some music for the service really," he said and addressed the theories that he was the Duchess of Sussex in disguise.

He admitted that he "was quite surprised that some people thought" that he was "Meghan Markle in disguise" and noted, "Someone wrote I was there, whoever I was, to steal the crown jewels. I look this way all the time."

He further explained that he could not have been the former "Suits" star because he wore a ribbon and medal around his neck. He held the items out for people to see and explained that he got them when he was given a knighthood.

Sir Jenkins continued, "This goes around my neck, over which my tie came...Oh, and my moustache has been referred to in The Times as well, but I've had the moustache since I was 18 years old. It was very trendy then. So, that's me. Nothing sinister or surprising at all!"

The 79-year-old, who is best known for the 1995 song "Adiemus," attracted attention because he was seated in the choir stalls of Westminster Abbey, close to where King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned. He was sitting next to fellow composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also shared his tongue-in-cheek response to Twitter over the theory of Sir Jenkins' identity.

One netizen wrote, "I don't know much about the #Coronation but I do know this [Jenkins] is obviously a disguise and 100 percent they're going to try and steal the crown jewels," to which Lloyd responded, "I can confirm it probably wasn't MM [Meghan Markle] and had no jewels on his person as far as I could see—ALW."

Meanwhile, netizens praised Sir Jenkins on how he handled the situation and clearly took the speculations in jest. One commented on his video, "Very classy, very funny, very knight-like."

Another wrote, "You're fabulous for addressing this interest" and a third chimed in, "Thank you for taking the claims with humour and kindness."

As for the Duchess of Sussex, she was not there at King Charles III's coronation. Instead, she stayed home in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Prince Harry travelled to London and attended the service by himself.

He was seen looking cheerful as he chatted with his cousins Princess Beatrice and Eugenie and their respective husbands. But he cut a lone figure when he walked inside Westminster Abbey by himself. He sat next to Princess Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, and they were spotted engaging in a jolly conversation ahead of the start of the coronation ceremony.

However, Prince Harry quickly flew back home to California after the ceremony so he could still celebrate Prince Archie's fourth birthday, which also falls on May 6. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle broke cover following Saturday's coronation when she was spotted out on a hike with long-time friends Markus Anderson and Heather Dorak on Sunday.