The decision has been made about King Charles III’s coronation and only Prince Harry is attending — Meghan Markle will be staying home in Montecito, California with their kids, Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 1. However, there are reportedly a few members of the royal family who can’t believe that the Duchess of Sussex opted out of the festivities. 

According to an Entertainment Tonight source, “several members of the family who expressed surprise she had decided to stay home.” It seems more shocking that anyone at the palace should have expected Meghan to fly over to the U.K. after the she was treated by the royal family in her short time in her senior role. It makes total sense that she declined the invite, especially since Charles’ historic day also falls on Archie’s fourth birthday. This gave her a graceful way to ease out of the invitation.

While the Royal Rota is probably disappointed that they won’t have the Sussex headlines they were hoping for, royal expert Eloise Parker told the media outlet that “relief” is probably the best word to describe Prince William and Kate Middleton’s reactions to the news. “I think there’s bound to be some relief from William and Kate that Meghan won’t be attending the coronation simply because less emphasis is going to be on them, who’s looking where, who’s lip reading, what’s going on between them,” she noted. 

Yet the Duke of Sussex’s presence will likely generate plenty of stories for the U.K. media because everyone knows that a story about Harry and Meghan gets plenty of clicks and views by readers. It’s supposed to be King Charles’ big moment, but royal experts are pointing out that the media seems to think that the Sussexes are “the only subject in town.”

Before you go, click here to see every single time the royal family shaded Meghan Markle and Prince Harry since they stepped down as royals.

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