King Charles Coronation: Signs Prince Harry is cut off from royal life

Prince Harry’s bizarre appearance at the Coronation revealed just how far he has fallen down the royal pecking order.

OPINION

One can’t help but wonder what was going through Prince Harry’s mind as he sat in the pews of Westminster Abbey during the emotional rollercoaster of his father’s coronation.

The wayward royal’s bizarre appearance at the event only served to highlight how cut off he is now from the lives of King Charles and Prince William.

Prince Harry looked lonely and awkward as he arrived at Westminster Abbey. Picture: AFP

It didn’t begin well — Harry’s excruciating entrance to the Abbey saw him lagging behind cousins Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.

Grinning wildly, he looked lonely and out of place as he chatted to an in-law, Beatrice’s husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, while his former royal besties appeared to blank him.

It was a long walk for Prince Harry without wife Meghan Markle. Picture: Getty Images

Prince Harry looked tense during the coronation ceremony. Picture: Getty Images

The exiled royal was in Harry the Joker mode as he pulled funny faces while waiting for the ceremony to start.

There were telling moments, however, when he let down his guard and threw a few of his trademark thunderous looks in the direction of brother Prince William, who was sitting two rows in front.

Dressed in a Dior suit rather than a British tailor — another sign of the newly transformed Harry — his view of the proceedings was at times blocked by Princess Anne’s red-feathered hat.

Prince Harry was no doubt thinking of his mother, royal biographer Andrew Morton says. Picture: Getty Images

Australian body language expert Louise Mahler noted that the Duke of Sussex appeared happy and laughing before the ceremony began but then seemed to tense up.

“Throughout the ceremony the jaw tension he so often shows seemed to creep in, but he seemed to play along with the ceremony,” Dr Mahler said.

“At the end, he sang God Save the King with the others.

“He did not sing it with enthusiasm, his mouth barely opened, but he did sing it.”

When Prince William knelt before King Charles to pledge loyalty, cameras from behind showed Harry sitting bolt upright, intently watching the historic and poignant moment between father and son.

The King broke tradition and whispered “thank you, William” in response, and the pair shared a tender kiss on the cheek.

It was an emotional moment that symbolised the King’s bond with William and no doubt left Harry feeling more out of the loop than ever.

The Duke of Sussex makes a run for it after the ceremony. Picture: AFP

With history unfolding before his eyes, the cherished second son is now demoted to the role of onlooker.

Ant then there is the Queen Camilla issue. Royal biographer Andrew Morton says Harry’s portrayal in his tell-all memoir Spare of the newly crowned Queen as the wicked stepmother who leaked stories to the media had caused irreparable damage to the royal family.

While sitting in the pews, Morton says, the Duke of Sussex was probably wondering what his mother, Princess Diana, would have made of it all.

At the end of the ceremony, Harry bowed his head in respect as his father walked by — another strangely poignant moment in light of their scarred relationship.

And then he was gone in a flash - dashing off to Heathrow just an hour after the ceremony to get back to Meghan Markle in California.

Originally published as King Charles Coronation: Signs Prince Harry is cut off from royal life