With King Charles’ coronation right around the corner, information about the over 2000 strong guest list has slowly begun to emerge.
The latest person to RSVP is surprisingly close to the new Queen, with Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles confirmed to attend the coronation.
Then and Now: The former couple are still close.
(Image: Getty)Andrew is no stranger to the royal family, serving as an officer of the Household Cavalry during then-Prince Charles’ 1980 tour of Zimbabwe, and as a commanding officer of the Blue and Royals that accompanied Charles and Princess Diana’s carriage on their wedding day. Andrew also allegedly had a brief fling with the King’s sister, Princess Anne, during the early 1970s.
Although he is a household name among the Windsors, Parker Bowles’ presence has sparked quite the controversy, due to his connection to the infamous love triangle that would end in then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s divorce in 1996.
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A source close to Camilla revealed to the Daily Mail that ‘[Camilla and Andrew] are joined at the hip … He’s right in there. He was always, and still is, Camilla’s co-conspirator.’
Andrew Parker Bowles (circled) travelling behind then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
(Image: Getty)The presence of the Queen’s ex has caused a stir among royal enthusiasts, with many pondering if the late Princess Diana would have attended King Charles’ coronation, or if she would have been extended an invitation at all.
‘Princess Diana will be there in spirit because William and Harry will be there and her grandchildren will be there’, Princess Diana’s butler Paul Burrell told Nine.
‘I doubt you’ll see Diana’s family at all at the coronation because they don’t really have a place there,’ Burrell added.
Princess Diana’s brother, Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, also shared a similar sentiment during a recent segment on the Off Air … with Jane and Fi podcast.
(L-R) King Charles, Andrew Parker Bowles, Princess Diana.
(Image: Getty)When questioned on whether he would be attending in an official capacity, due to his elevated status within the British nobility, Spencer added ‘I think we’ve never had an official role in it, just turned up like everyone else used to, when it was the hereditary peers and the House of Lords … There is some old coronet knocking around somewhere, but I won’t be wearing it soon, I don’t think.’
Despite those close to Princess Diana having doubts about whether she or any of the Spencer family would be in attendance, some royal watchers believe that if Camilla’s ex-partner is welcome, why wouldn’t Diana be?
The Earl Spencer walked alongside the royal family during Princess Diana’s funeral procession.
(Image: Getty)In a debate on Daily Mail Royals, royal editors Richard Eden and Rebecca English delved into the speculation regarding Diana’s hypothetical coronation attendance.
‘With [Sarah Ferguson] not being invited as an ex-wife, Princess Diana wouldn’t have been invited either’, argued Eden.
‘I think she would have been there definitely. She’s the mother of a future king’, rebutted English.
As royal pundits continue to debate over whether or not the late Princess of Wales would attend her ex-husband’s coronation, Eden poses an overarching question that cuts to the heart of the coronation speculation; ‘If Diana was alive, would Charles be crowned?’
