After months of speculation about whether or not he’d attend King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation on May 6, Prince Harry returned for his father’s big day. His reunion with most of the immediate and extended Royal Family came after the release of his memoir, Spare, in January. This included several shocking allegations, especially regarding his brother Prince William, and the rumors of a royal rift intensified. It had been reported that the Royal Family had “no interest” in talking to Prince Harry at the coronation after all that had happened.
However, now the Mail on Sunday’s Assistant Editor Kate Mansey has opened up about Princess Anne and Prince Harry’s exchange at Westminster Abbey. And according to her, it could be incredibly enlightening…
Writing about the coronation day, Kate remarked upon a conversation between Prince Harry and his aunt the Princess Royal. She suggested that it seemed to be a “good-humored exchange” as she shared what lip-reading experts had said about it.
“While most senior royals ignored the Prince who quit his duties to move abroad, Anne appeared to ask Harry – who remains the fifth in line to the throne – if was okay with his seat three rows back. Would he be able to see beyond her high feathered cap?” she wrote.
Kate continued, “In what looked to be a good-humored exchange, lip-reading experts reportedly revealed he told her: ‘I don’t mind’ before saying ‘Sit at the front!’”.
Describing Princess Anne and Prince Harry’s exchange as a “frank and jovial conversation”, Kate added that if viewers at home were “surprised” by it, it seemed that “some royals in the pews behind” were too. She went on to say that “one of the most endearing qualities” the King’s sister has is “her ability to get on with things” and that she “doesn’t waste energy on grudges”.
Whilst some might have not expected the warmth between the aunt and nephew after the challenging recent months, Kate reflected that Princess Anne “seemed to have a soft spot” for Prince Harry “from the beginning”. This apparently became all the more significant after he lost his mother Princess Diana when he was just six years old.
“The Princess Royal has always had a soft spot for Harry and they both have a wicked sense of humor,” an insider claimed. “People talk about Prince Andrew being the spare but Anne was the second-born, too, and particularly since Diana died has always felt a duty to support her nephew. Both Anne and Harry have a great sense of humor and more in common than it might seem.”
In line with these suggestions about Princess Anne’s “soft spot” for Prince Harry, Kate put forward the idea that she was “one of the few” royals who wasn’t “targeted” in Spare. So it seems Princess Anne and Prince Harry’s exchange at the coronation was not only cheerful but apparently could be an indication of the sweet bond they’ve always had.