Commenting on the fact the Duke and Duchess of Sussex waited until last week to announce Prince Harry was going to attend the Coronation of King Charles alone, Mr Burrell said Princess Diana’s son is facing a “cold and icy” reception in the UK.
In an interview with Spin Genie, the former royal butler said: “Harry’s got a problem because he’s going to have to sit amongst family who he’s pushed under the bus and criticised and what kind of reception is he going to get? A very cold and icy one because the Windsors don’t forgive, they do hold a grudge.
“The family do push people out on the margins if they don’t conform and follow the party rules.
“The King has laid down the rules and Harry should follow them.”
Prince Harry and Meghan announced via their spokesperson on April 12, a few days after the deadline to RSVP to the event had reportedly passed, only the Duke would travel across the Atlantic for the historic Coronation.
The statement also read: “The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”
A few hours later, Omid Scobie, author of the unofficial biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titled Finding Freedom, said he understood the birthday of Archie, who is turning four on the day of the Coronation, “played a factor in the couple’s decision”.
He also tweeted Harry’s trip to the UK would likely be “fairly quick” and that he would only be attending the ceremony at Westminster Abbey rather than taking part also in some of the other events scheduled throughout the Coronation weekend.
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Harry’s confirmed attendance at the Coronation put an end to months of speculation, fuelled by the news in early March the pair had been invited to the event via email but were refraining for the moment to share their intention to attend.
Mr Burrell believes the Sussexes were “titillating the media” with the uncertainty.
He went on to claim: “Their only reason for surviving in the public eye is the fact they’re royal and they are still on the edges of being royal because of Harry’s connection with his family.
“That is their greatest asset and that’s the one that they can use and tease because America loves our Royal Family and the minute Meghan and Harry aren’t involved with our Royal Family at all, America might start to go a little bit cold on them because then they will look toward the core royals again instead of Harry and Meghan.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from public duties in the spring of 2020 and relocated to California.
Following their exit, they retained their royal titles and used them on a number of occasions, including on the cover of the Duchess’ children’s book The Bench and when attending certain events.
The pair also decided to style their children as prince and princess, a right Archie and Lilibet earned following the accession to the throne of King Charles.
The Sussexes’ gap with their royal relatives and the Firm appears to remain wide, with both Meghan and Harry airing their grievances against the institution and close family members in a number of interviews and in the Duke’s memoir released in January.