Reports suggest King Charles III could celebrate Trooping the Colour without Prince Harry

King Charles III is set to undertake his first Trooping The Colour celebration as new monarch on June 17 with those closest to him. But reports have it that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will miss the event.

Royal writer Richard Eden wrote in the Daily Mail, "I hear that Prince Harry and Meghan have not [...] been invited to the King's Birthday Parade next weekend" adding that "it will be the first time in Harry's life that he has not been welcome at the monarch's official birthday celebrations."

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek that he had not expected the Sussexes to receive an invite to this year's Trooping the Colour because "there is very deep rift in the royal family."

He added, "They did indeed receive one for the Trooping during the celebrations of the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee, but that occasion was obviously exceptional. It has been increasingly clear that they have, in the view of the Palace, gone rogue."

Fitzwilliams cited Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" and his and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan" and the "various court cases Harry is involved in" as "evidence of the Sussexes' high international profile" But they have "also highlighted their estrangement from the royal family."

The Duke of Sussex admitted in promotional interviews for his memoir that he is no longer on speaking terms with his father and brother Prince William. But he wants to rebuild their relationship telling Anderson Cooper in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he looks forward to "having a relationship" with his brother and father and with other members of the royal family.

Fitzwilliams added, "The Sussexes know the palace is not able to do a point-by-point reply to accusations made against it, without giving further publicity to them. It is therefore no surprise that Trooping the Colour will take place without them and this is also likely to be the case in future years, unless a reconciliation occurs, which at the moment seems most unlikely."

The first time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended Trooping the Colour as working royals was in 2018 and again in 2019. On those years, they were part of the royal lineup on the Buckingham Palace balcony. The event was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVI9-19 pandemic, and in 2021, it was scaled down because of social distancing restrictions amid the pandemic. By that time, they had already left their royal duties and were living in California with their son Prince Archie.

The last time they attended the event as non-working royals was in 2022 when they received an invite from Queen Elizabeth II. They were not part of the lineup on the Buckingham Palace balcony. But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still made the press rounds because they were photographed interacting with Mike and Zara Tindall's children, as well as with Peter Phillips' daughter, by the window in one of the offices in the palace.

Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been invited to Trooping the Colour this year. The last event the 38-year-old attended in London was King Charles III's coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6. He was back in the country again earlier this month to give testimony to his privacy case against Mirror Group Newspapers. He reportedly stayed at Frogmore Cottage but did not meet with members of the royal family including his father and brother.

For this year's Trooping the Colour, King Charles III will participate in the event on horseback, a tradition that has not been seen in 30 years since Queen Elizabeth II, in 1986. The palace announced in a statement, "His Majesty The King will take the Salute as Colonel in Chief of the seven regiments of the Household Division, at the Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade, on Saturday 17th June 2023. Marking the first time that the reigning Monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour since 1986, when Queen Elizabeth II last rode, The King will join His Majesty's Birthday Parade on horseback."