When Prince Harry returned to London for King Charles’s coronation in May 2023, the world watched with curiosity and tension.
It was the first time in years that the Duke of Sussex had been seen publicly alongside his royal relatives—and as expected, every small glance, gesture, and seating arrangement was dissected in real time.
But amid all the pageantry inside Westminster Abbey, one small detail stole the spotlight: Princess Anne’s enormous feathered hat, which seemed to block Harry’s view of the ceremony entirely.
For months, royal watchers wondered—was it just an unfortunate coincidence, or something more deliberate?
Now, thanks to revelations from royal biographer Robert Hardman’s book Charles III: New King, New Court: The Inside Story, the mystery behind that “hatgate” moment has finally been put to rest.
The Long-Awaited Return to Royal Ground
After more than 1,000 days away from royal life, Harry’s brief appearance at the coronation was both headline-making and emotionally charged.
He had stepped back from royal duties with Meghan Markle in 2020 and settled in California, but chose to return solo for his father’s big day.
It wasn’t a guaranteed appearance. The couple’s silence after the palace’s RSVP deadline fueled weeks of uncertainty.
Finally, nine days after the cutoff, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry would attend alone, while Meghan stayed home with Archie and Lilibet.
When the big day arrived, Harry appeared in a sleek morning suit with his medals neatly pinned, taking his place in the third row—well behind senior royals like Prince William and Princess Catherine.
The Feather That Blocked the View
As cameras panned across the majestic Abbey, eagle-eyed viewers couldn’t help but notice one glaring thing—Princess Anne’s striking red-plumed hat was perfectly positioned between Harry and the view of his father’s crowning moment.
Social media exploded with theories. Was the Princess Royal sending a subtle message to her nephew after “Megxit”? Was it payback wrapped in feathers?
Robert Hardman says absolutely not. In his book, he clears up the long-standing rumor, revealing that Anne’s seat placement was practical, not political.
She had requested a “speed exit” for her role in the procession, and that’s the only reason she was seated there.
Anne herself later joked about the incident, recalling, “I said, ‘Are you sure you want me to keep the hat on? Because it’s quite a decent-sized hat.’ And the answer was yes. There you go. Not my choice.”
According to palace protocol, royal women in uniform traditionally keep their hats on in church, so there was never any malice behind the feathered obstruction.
A Brief But Warm Exchange Between Aunt and Nephew
Despite the tension surrounding his presence, Harry’s interaction with his aunt appeared warm and good-humored.
As Anne made her way to her seat, she paused to chat with him.
Lip readers later claimed Harry joked, “I don’t mind,” when she asked if he could see, before adding playfully, “Sit at the front!”
It was a fleeting but human moment in an otherwise chilly family reunion.
The Curious Seating Plan and Subtle Demotions
Observers noticed that Harry’s placement wasn’t just symbolic—it also broke with royal tradition.
Normally, royals are seated according to their position in the line of succession.
But this time, Harry arrived before distant relatives like the Gloucesters and sat beside his uncle Prince Andrew, another royal who had stepped back from duties.
Both men, though for vastly different reasons, were relegated to the same third-row section—quietly marking their altered status within the monarchy.
Hidden Emotions and Unseen Conversations
Because of Anne’s towering hat, viewers couldn’t see much of Harry’s expression during the ceremony.
But according to lip reader Jeremy Freeman, there were revealing moments captured in whispers to Jack Brooksbank, Princess Eugenie’s husband.
Freeman claimed Harry muttered, “I’m fed up with the way they treat me.
It’s not an ideal situation.” Brooksbank reportedly replied, “It’s not the quiet life, is it?”—to which Harry answered, “They don’t care.”
Though the context remains unclear, royal watchers widely believe the exchange reflected Harry’s lingering frustration with his family.
The Quick Exit Back to California
As soon as the formalities ended, Harry didn’t linger. Skipping both the family lunch and balcony appearance, he quietly slipped out of Westminster Abbey and headed straight for Heathrow.
Within hours, he was on a flight back to Montecito, returning to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday.
While King Charles raised a glass to toast both present and absent family members—ending with a birthday wish for Archie “wherever he was”—Harry was already thousands of miles away.
Meghan’s Decision to Stay Behind
Meghan’s absence sparked its own debate. Some saw it as an act of avoidance; others viewed it as a quiet show of boundaries.
According to a source quoted at the time, she stayed home to celebrate Archie’s birthday because “it would have felt inauthentic to do anything else” and she wanted “to minimise the drama.”
Still, palace insiders said the King was “genuinely disappointed” that his younger son didn’t stay for even a brief family moment after the ceremony.
The Distance Between Father and Son
Though Harry later hinted that his father’s cancer diagnosis might open a door to reconciliation, insiders believe a full reunion remains unlikely.
The King has reportedly only met Lilibet once, during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022—a brief but emotional encounter that felt like a glimpse of what could have been.
For now, the miles between Montecito and London seem to mirror the emotional distance between father and son—a gap that, even with shared history and royal duty, remains painfully wide.