16 people who are attending King Charles' coronation — and 3 notable figures who aren't

The coronation of King Charles III will be held on the first Saturday in May nearly 70 years after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The coronation will be remarkably slimmed-down compared to Queen Elizabeth's — roughly 8,000 well-wishers attended the Queen's coronation on June 2, 1953, while only 2,200 people are expected to turn out for Charles' big day. Millions of others will be able to watch the ceremony from afar.

Still, Charles' coronation will nevertheless be the most significant royal event of this century, so far.

The ceremony, which will confirm Charles as the official monarch of the United Kingdom, will not only be attended by members of the British royal family but by royals and dignitaries from around the world. However, a few notable figures will be absent from the day's festivities. 

Prince William, who is first in line to the throne, will attend alongside his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.

As working royals who have attended practically every major royal event together since their wedding in 2011, William and Kate are expected to not only attend the ceremony but also make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation ceremony. 

Prince George, who is second in line to the throne, will attend the coronation alongside his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. However, the young prince will hold a special role as a "page of honor" to his grandfather King Charles.

There will be eight pages of honor in total. Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Master Nicholas Barclay, and Master Ralph Tollemache will join George in assisting Charles, while the queen consort's pages will be her three grandsons, Master Gus, Master Louis Lopes, and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, as well as her great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot.

While there was speculation over whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would attend the coronation at all, Buckingham Palace recently released a statement confirming that Harry would attend the ceremony.

However, Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet, will remain at their home in California. 

In a statement sent to Insider, Buckingham Palace said it was "pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May." 

While it is confirmed that Harry will attend the ceremony, it is unknown if — and probably unlikely — he will join his family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the ceremony, given the fact that he is no longer a working royal.

"The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. 

The coronation falls on the same day as Archie's 4th birthday, and royal experts say that likely played a part in Meghan's decision to skip the ceremony.

"I think the decision for Harry to go and for Meghan to stay home with the children on Archie's birthday is a brilliant way to split the difference," Kristen Meinzer, a royal watcher, told Insider. 

Prince Edward, King Charles' brother and the newly appointed Duke of Edinburgh, will attend the coronation, the BBC reported, and appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, will also likely be in attendance.

King Charles III and Prince Andrew have had a rocky relationship over the years, especially after Andrew was accused of sexual abuse.

In August 2021, Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew, accusing the prince of sexually assaulting her at Jeffrey Epstein's mansion when she was 17.

The royal, who said he cut ties with Epstein, has repeatedly denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was dismissed in March 2022 after the prince paid her settlement money.

In January 2022, Buckingham Palace announced it was stripping Andrew of his military titles, royal patronages, and HRH status in the fallout of the allegations. In July 2022, royal expert Neil Sean claimed in a Fox News article that Andrew's relationship with Charles was "virtually nonexistent."

According to Time, it is not yet known whether Prince Andrew will participate directly in the ceremony or wear the traditional ceremonial robes. 

Tom Parker Bowles, who is married to Sara Parker Bowles, had two children with his first wife, fashion editor Sara Buys. Their son, Freddy, 13, will serve as a page of honor at the ceremony, while their daughter, Lola, will likely also attend.

Laura Lopes, who shares three children with her husband Harry Lopes, is expected to attend. Twins Louis Lopes and Gus Lopes, both 13, will serve as pages to Camilla.

Camilla's sister, Annabel Elliot, and her nieces, Alice Irwin, Katie Elliot, and Ayesha Shand, are also expected to attend the ceremony, as will her nephew, Ben Elliot.

No American president has ever attended a royal coronation, so it's no snub that Biden has chosen to skip the historic event. 

"There is a precedent here for the president not to go, and then you know, President Eisenhower didn't attend Queen Elizabeth's coronation either," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told ABC News.

The White House released a statement that Biden has spoken with Charles privately and congratulated him on the upcoming event while "underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples" as well as expressing that "First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States."

In a break with tradition, royals from across the world will attend Charles' coronation.

"I'm certain that it's going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one," Albert told People in January. "I'm certain His Majesty will add his own 'personal touches' to the ceremonies, but what those will be, I'm sure I don't know."

However, the royal couple said they were undecided as to whether their 8-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, would attend the coronation, saying that "[they] may be a little young for these types of ceremonies."

Queen Margrethe, a distant cousin of Charles, recently returned to her public duties after undergoing back surgery in February, but she already confirmed that she will not attend the coronation.

The Danish queen previously traveled to the United Kingdom for the Duke of Edinburgh's Service of Thanksgiving and joined her son Frederik, who is taking her place at the coronation, at Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral. 

Prince Frederik also recently came out in support of the queen amidst a family squabble concerning the titles of his brother Prince Joachim's three children. 

Queen Margrethe announced last year that she would be taking away his four children's prince and princess titles and that they would instead receive the titles of counts and countesses.

The decision, which she said was to allow her grandchildren greater freedom, was "in line with similar adjustments that other royal houses have made in various ways in recent years," according to a statement released by the Danish royal family.

The decision apparently came as a surprise to Joachim, who is currently living in Paris with his family before an upcoming move to Washington, DC.

"My kids don't know which leg to stand on. What they should believe," he said in a press statement, according to Town & Country. "Why should their identity be removed? Why must they be punished in that way?"

Prince Frederik, who is heir apparent to the throne of Denmark, came out in support of Margrethe's decision.

"My mother has made this decision alone, because it is what she can do and it is what she wants, and she thought now was the time to make a decision that I also support and see as the right thing to do," Frederik said outside of a Copenhagen school where he attended an event in October 2022, People reported.

"I myself am interested in the Danish monarchy staying lean over time, so I, therefore, support my mother's decision, which she has chosen to make," he added.

According to the Japan Times, the event will mark the couple's first official visit to the United Kingdom and their first time attending a foreign royal coronation, according to a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.

Emperor Naruhito will not attend the ceremony according to a protocol that disallows him from attending foreign royal coronations. However, the Emperor did attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. 

There has been no confirmation of whether they will be joined by their two daughters, Leonor and Infanta Sofía.

The couple previously showed their support for the British royal family by attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, as pictured above.

The king, who is currently celebrating his 50th jubilee, is the longest-reigning monarch of Sweden in history.

Crown Princess Victoria, who is heir to the throne of Sweden, will join her father at the historic ceremony. 

Sunak, who was elected prime minister in October, expressed his excitement for the event in his New Year's address, saying he hopes that the United Kingdom will "come together with pride in everything that makes this country great" come the time of the coronation.

Sunak will also host a coronation luncheon at Downing Street in the days surrounding the official ceremony.

Other political leaders, including Humza Yousaf, the newly appointed first minister of Scotland, 20 members of Parliament, and 20 peers from the House of Lords, will also be in attendance at the ceremony.