Why Prince Harry Was Missing On the Balcony and 'on the Sidelines' at Coronation: Royal Expert

While Prince Harry was in attendance at King Charles III's historic coronation, he didn't play much of a role in his father's big day.

Harry was absent from the royal family balcony after the coronation and had no notable role during the ceremony. He was spotted entering the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning with his cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princes Eugenie, and Zara Tindall, as well as their respective spouses. He seemed in good spirits, smiling and chatting with Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and sat with his family -- next to Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, and directly behind his aunt, Anne, Princess Royal. Harry also joined the crown in reciting "God save King Charles" following his father's crowning. After the coronation, he left solo and without any fanfare.

ET spoke with royal expert Eloise Parker ahead of the coronation, who shared some insight into the decision for Harry to have a limited role.

"I fully expect Prince Harry to be very much on the sidelines during this ceremony," Parker shared. "This ceremony is all about King Charles III and the Queen Consort, so I would expect even the Duke and Duchess of Wales, William and Kate, will also be at the sidelines for this [event]."

Harry attended the coronation alone -- while his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children -- Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 1 -- remained at home in California.

"[There was] some surprise that Harry is going alone, [but] not so much when you realize that it's his son Archie's birthday the very same day," Parker explained. "So Meghan is in fact going to be staying home in California to celebrate that birthday, which is perhaps quite convenient given the tensions between the two families right now."

While Harry was there solo -- and mostly out of the spotlight -- Parker said it is "impossible to believe there's not gonna be some amount of tension, given just how intimate Harry's revelations were for the entire family in his book, Spare."

"I think this is the first time they're gonna be in person since the launch of that book," Parker added.

However, for Harry, the amount of fanfare and celebration being paid to his father at the coronation will likely allow him a bit of relief from the pressure of attention.

"There's going to be thousands of people around, all needing attention, Charles is gonna be very much at the center of that, so hopefully for Harry that's gonna take the emphasis off him," Parker shared. "I think most people are hoping that the father-son relationship will heal over time unfortunately, I just don't think the coronation is gonna be the event for that to happen."

"There's just gonna be too many people, too much pressure, and far too much going on," she said, adding that any eventual reconciliation is almost certainly going to come after the highly public royal event.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl also told ET that Meghan not attending the coronation was "probably the right decision."

"I think had she come with the children, I think there was always the risk that the sort-of Sussex show could have overshadowed the coronation," Nicholl said. "I think there is a very real possibility if they had come here, there may have been blood in the streets and that would be terrible." 

Although the actual anointment during the coronation ceremony is not broadcast publicly, plenty of special programming and live footage from the coronation ceremony will be available to watch live on May 6 starting at 5 a.m. ET. Cable viewers will be able to watch coverage on ABC News and  Good Morning America, including the concert featuring Katy and Richie. Others can watch the coronation online on these streaming platforms.

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