Britain's King Charles III (L) greets Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne during an audience at Buckingham Palace on September 18, 2022
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Several netizens felt that King Charles' coronation date is a snub to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
  • Some alleged it was deliberately picked to fall on Archie's 4th birthday, so the Sussexes could not attend
  • Royal expert Katie Nicholl shut down the snub rumors and said it was "very much a happy coincident"

King Charles' coronation date received mixed responses from fans and a royal expert.

Buckingham Palace announced King Charles' coronation date Tuesday. It falls on his grandson Archie's 4th birthday, May 6, 2023, which many take as a snub against Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Page Six reported.

"So King Charles The Cruel has set his Coronation for the 6th of May next year... AKA his grandson Prince Archie of Sussex's 4th birthday," one critic tweeted. "Chile how ghetto. I hate it here. Anyway, Harry when's that memoir dropping 🙃."

"Imagine you choose your grandchild's birthday for your coronation and... He is trending in your country, NOT YOU 🤭 #Archie 👑," a second netizen added.

"At first, I thought the Coronation date was an oversight, but not anymore!" a third person stated. "The aim is to overwrite any date that relates to the Sussexes with something that relates exclusively to the Crown. That way the 6th [of] May becomes Coronation Day instead of Archies birthday. Not on our watch!"

Some netizens also defended King Charles from allegations that he picked the date because his coronation was a state affair and the government was involved.

"You do realize His Majesty probably didn't personally pick the date? It's a state affair, so Government is in charge of scheduling," one wrote.

Another user claimed that King Charles cannot change the date "if it's formal government advice."

Vanity Fair royal editor Katie Nicholl, the author of the new book "The New Royals," shut down the speculations that the coronation was a snub to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She didn't think that the date was picked deliberately so that Prince Harry and Markle couldn't attend the event since it would be on their son's birthday. Instead, Nicholl found it to be a "happy coincident."

"Having the coronation on Archie's birthday is definitely not a snub. I think it's very much a happy coincidence," Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "Obviously, a huge amount of planning has to go into an important moment in history, such as a coronation, and the royal calendar is full of anniversaries and birthdays, so I think this is absolutely one of those occasions where it's a coincidence and hopefully a happy coincidence."

King Charles' coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey in London and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He will be crowned alongside his wife, Queen Consort Camilla.

"The Coronation will reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry," the palace announced, adding that further details would be announced in due course.

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AFP