King Charles snubs Diana's brother on Coronation guest list - as Earl Spencer will not attend

6 May 2023, 08:11

The King has not invited Earl Spencer to his Coronation, leaving ex-wife Princess Diana's brother off of the Westminster Abbey guest list.

Charles Spencer will not be present at the historic occasion in London, despite having pledged to look after The King's sons William and Harry at the very same venue during his sister's funeral in 1997.

The decision is said to have shocked the Spencers - who had assumed the Earl would be part of the festivities for The King's crowning.

If Diana had lived and remained married to King Charles, then she would have become Queen on Saturday, adding to the bitter irony for the Spencers compounded by the snub.

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A friend told the i newspaper: “What’s galling is that Earl Spencer may well have turned down the invitation for obvious historic reasons, but this brutal exclusion left no option for any elegant diplomacy.”

Earl Spencer made a vow to protect the King's then-young sons at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 - in a touching promise after his sister's untimely demise.

The Coronation is set to be the first occasion in which The King will debut his "slimmed-down monarchy" - as the snub has been extended to the exclusion of Prince Harry and Prince Andrew from both the procession and balcony.

King Charles will become the 41st monarch crowned in that period.He intends to echo the words of his late mother in a vow that reads: "I come not to be served but to serve."

Key points in today's service include the oaths, the investiture and crowning, and the Coronation of the Queen later in the ceremony.