Harold Will Attend The Coronation, As Commanded
It came as no surprise when BP finally announced that Harold would attend the Coronation as commanded, for he is still a British Citizen and one that (still) holds a royal ducal title. Therefore, it was his duty and obligation to attend as commanded by the King. TW on the other hand is irrelevant and only has titles through marriage, and the unverified children are being used as leverage, and for PR. The order of service is being printed and there can be no amendments, and Harold still has a duty to carry out as one who holds a royal ducal title (as in turning up).
However, it was still petulant and disrespectful of the self-exiled overseas son not to confirm attendance immediately, and to allow the ‘will he or won’t he attend’ stories to circulate for several months. What he has proven is that he (and his wife) are wholly unfit to represent the nation, let alone any other entity that values its reputation. Who will pay for his flights, or will he try and hitch a ride on a private jet?
Will Harold join in the celebrations, or show up for the ceremony and hop back on a plane as soon as possible? At this point, no one really cares so long as he behaves himself in a respectful manner, without smirks and a smug look, but it looks as if it will be a fleeting appearance for the sake of appearances. He attended his grandfather’s funeral because he was expected to, but then didn’t bother with the memorial service which shows the lack of respect he had for his grandfather. Then he was on a plane as soon as possible after the funeral of his grandmother, where he looked as if he couldn’t wait to leave. Harold likes the titles and perks but none of the responsibility or obligations that go with such a privilege.
This outcome was expected, much along the lines of how Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor) handled such instances. Edward attended the funerals of his brother and his mother without Wallis as she would not have been welcomed. TW is persona non grata and she knows it, and Harold shows his face at events only because he has to. I doubt the duo will show up for other events such as Trooping the Colour, although Harold might be in the country for one of his numerous court cases.
Most of the RF are probably cheering and relieved that she won’t come. It was a case of an invite for the sake of it and expecting her to decline. Perhaps that’s why it was chosen on the day of the child’s birthday hoping that she would opt not to attend?
Some media outlets have reported on the news, but is it really news that should be on the front pages? Some claim (stupidly) that this signals a truce—no, he had to attend because he is in the LoS, listed as a Counsellor of State still and holds a royal ducal title. If none of the above was applicable, then he would have no formal obligations to attend but to decline an invitation would be disrespectful when you have no reason not to attend.
Harold may show up in body, but will he be there in spirit? Will his memoir notes claim that his wife’s demands were dismissed and therefore she couldn’t attend? Sources say that there was a high probability that she would have been booed—no kidding, of course she would have been booed or hissed at and the entire country knows it.
Claims will be made that TW is busy organising a birthday party for the child known as Archie, but she probably is busy planning the relaunch of The Tig before the trademark gets abandoned. She also knows that she has burnt many bridges in the UK and her ego probably couldn’t handle being jeered at again. We can assume that some demands were made and they were dismissed, but she only wants to monetise the title and continues to do so. Most expect TW to pull some kind of stunt, and the bets are on The Tig being relaunched (it was originally launched 5 May 2014), and an extravagant party for the child known as Archie with images sold to the usual sugar outlets.
There is little Coronation fever in the UK right now. I spotted a souvenir bag in M&S and one in Tesco, and a few window displays with merchandise and some tat. Souvenir notebooks sell for £14.99, teddy bears for £8.99, and £1.99 buys a paper tablecloth or a set of flags to wave. Most people don’t have disposable income to spend on such items that last for a day, and some may buy them as souvenirs but when you weigh up paying an energy bill or to put food not the table versus buying bunting and flags, food and heat come first. To put things into context for those outside of the UK, energy bills have doubled since this time last year and the government assistance to all households ended a few weeks ago, meaning bills will be much higher.
Ultimately, this is the result most people expected and wanted—no TW, but Harold, the Overseas Son had a duty to attend. She can plant cult members in crowds and pay people to cheer her, but the masses cannot be bought. I imagine many are breathing a sigh of relief that TW will not be coming to the UK. Now, we just need that to become a permanent fixture. The Coronation will offer Harold an opportunity to divulge more of his thoughts on the toxic RF for his book deal. He can grit his teeth while he spends time in the company of the family he professes to loathe, while he openly plays the part of a traitor within to gather material to monetise his privileged status.