Prince Harry’s ties with members of the royal family don’t appear to be healing after his bombshell memoir and Netflix documentaries, as the royal confirmed reports on Wednesday that he had been asked to “vacate” his home in Windsor at Frogmore Cottage.
The move, which is expected to be approved by King Charles and Prince William, is the latest blow in a battle royal with the Sussexes that has come from either side of the Atlantic since Harry and Meghan moved to California in 2020 was fought.
Despite the apparent public animosity between the two branches of the Windsor family, bookmakers reveal that betting odds still support Harry traveling to the UK in May to attend his father’s coronation.
Leading UK bookmaker Ladbrokes is currently offering 4/6 odds on Harry and Meghan attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, as opposed to 2/1 against.
Expressed as a percentage, this means that the market is predicting a 60 percent implied probability that the couple will be at the Abbey on Coronation Day, as opposed to a 33 percent probability that they will not.
The news that the Sussexes have been asked to give up their British home base hasn’t tipped the odds in favor of the royals snubbing the ceremony, but as Harry himself said in a January interview promoting his memoir, “In between can a lot happens now and then.”
“Despite the alleged eviction of Frogmore Cottage, there is a good chance that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend the King’s coronation at this time,” said Jessica O’Reilly of Ladbrokes news week.
“However, there is still a long way to go between now and May 6, and it cannot be ruled out that more dirty laundry will be aired, which could even result in her invitation being withdrawn altogether.”
There have been more mud fights in recent months, especially in November with the premiere of the Harry & Megan six-part Netflix documentaries and in January following the release of Harry’s 410-page memoir, spare part.
Both projects brought in millions of dollars for the Sussexes as they were the result of content creation agreements signed after they stepped down as working royals, ending their annual funding from King Charles, which also ended their entitlement to state funded bodyguards ended.
The couple made a series of revelations about their time in the monarchy and their relationships with members of the royal family in both projects.
In the Netflix docuseries, Harry revealed that his family dismissed concerns about Meghan’s tabloid treatment and took the position that harassment and negative media coverage was a “rite of passage”.
The prince also made a number of allegations against his brother, Prince William, including that he “yelled and yelled” during the meeting where Harry decided he was no longer a working royal.
Claims made on the show have not been commented on by the royals or the palace, but has been dismissed as claiming that the producers had reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment. Within hours of the series’ release, reports circulated that the royals had not been contacted. However, it was later claimed that emails were sent from an affiliated production company and not Netflix.
Though the series is one of the most popular shows to stream on Netflix, the positive response from viewers hasn’t translated into a boost in the Sussexes’ popularity.
Polls conducted by YouGov in the UK on the day the series was released showed that Harry’s popularity had halved, giving him a net favor of -26. Likewise, Meghan’s net favor had dropped to -39 from -32 before the show debuted.
However, the biggest bombshells were to come just a few weeks later with the January 10 release spare part and Harry’s interviews promoting it.
In the book, the king recounted conversations with family members, including Charles, Kate Middleton and William, as well as the breakdown in relations between Harry and the British tabloid media.
Alongside the serious allegations and revelations, he also shared lighter anecdotes like his jovial speech at William’s wedding and his experience with penile frostbite.
But again, despite becoming the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, spare part hasn’t boosted Harry’s popularity as Sussex’s favorability ratings have fallen to their lowest ever.
As of February, according to research by Redfield & Wilton for news week, Harry was liked by 32 percent of Americans polled and disliked by 42 percent, giving him a net approval rating of -10. This was a 48-point drop since the Netflix series premiered.
Meghan’s approval rating also fell in the US from +23 on December 5 to -17 on February 19.
The coronation of Charles on May 6th will be part of a larger three day weekend of events in the UK, including a pop concert at Windsor Castle and a national day.
May 6th is also an important day for Harry and Meghan for another reason, as it also marks the fourth birthday of their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
news week has reached out to representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comment.
