It’s the most famous balcony in the world. And today once the historic coronation ceremony of King Charles III and his wife Camilla is over, all eyes will be on it. The Buckingham Palace balcony is where the Royal Family will gather after the service. This will be one of the most talked-about photos in Britain for days to come.

The picture is not candid. It’s definitely staged. And while we know all about the ceremony and the guest list, who will make it to the balcony remains a mystery.

Of course, there will be the newly crowned king and queen. The “obedient” son Prince Williams, his wife Kate and their three children will make an appearance. The big question is: Will Harry be part of this photo-op? And what about Charles’ controversial sibling Prince Andrews?

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The balcony is an important feature in all big celebrations of the Royal Family –victories in wars, monarch’s birthdays, jubilee celebrations, weddings, and of course, the rare, coronation.

The balcony photograph after the coronation is going to speak more than a thousand words. And deliver a message.

Working royals only?

On Saturday, after the family returns from the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the curtains will be raised and several guests will step out onto the balcony, waving to crowds gathered outside the palace gates. There is increased speculation that it will be a core group of “working royals”, family members who carry out official duties on behalf of the King, according to a report in the BBC.

If that is the case, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will make their first appearance after the crowning. They will be accompanied by the Prince and Princess of Wale (William and Kate); the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Prince Edward and his wife Sophie); the Princess Royal (Anne), and other working royals Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (Prince Richard and his wife Birgitte) and the Duke of Kent (Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin).

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Will Harry get the snub?

If it’s “working royals” alone then Harry does not qualify. In 2020, Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they are stepping back from their duties as senior royals and moving to California.

A highly placed source told Page Six that there is “no way” Harry will be invited to join the family on the balcony.

But another source said that the palace hasn’t announced who was going to be on the balcony yet. “The one thing that is clear is that Charles loves his son, the emotions of the day may just overtake everything,” the source told Page Six.

However, Harry has reportedly not seen his father since arriving in the UK for the coronation.

There was much speculation over Harry and Meghan’s invitation to the ceremony. Their ties with the family have been strained. They have been vocal about the way they were treated in interviews, documentaries and a book.

While Harry is in London to attend his father’s coronation, he would not have any formal role in the ceremony, according to Britain’s Press Association news agency. He will not join the procession behind King Charles and Camilla as they return from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace after the service.

That’s not all. Harry will not be permitted to wear his military uniform at the coronation despite having served in the army for 10 years, according to reports in the British media.

Harry, who served two tours of Afghanistan, is expected to wear a morning suit, reports The Telegraph. The decision follows royal protocol, which typically bars non-working members of the royal family from wearing military uniforms to official state occasions.

Harry was initially not permitted to wear the uniform during the funeral proceedings for Queen Elizabeth II. However, he was later allowed to while standing vigil at the late monarch’s coffin at King Charles’ request.

But since then, ties between Harry and his family have further deteriorated. The Sussexs in a Netflix special further criticised the family and the prince later went on publish this tell-all memoir Spare.

This will be the first time Harry will meet his father, brother and other members of the royal family since the release of his book, even as Meghan has opted to sit the event out. The couple’s two children, Archie and Lilibet, are in California with their mother. Harry too is expected to return promptly to the US after the ceremony.

What about Prince Andrew?

If Harry is banned from the balcony, it’s unlikely Prince Andrew will be allowed. The controversial younger brother of King Charles was also banished from the most recent balcony moment for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, reports the BBC.

Like Harry, Andrew too has been excluded from any formal role at the coronation.

Prince Andrew has been stripped of all his royal duties and military affiliations last January as he was embroiled in a sex abuse lawsuit. His close friendship with now-deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislane Maxwell has left the Royal Family red-faced.

The prince was accused of sexually assaulting a then-underage Virginia Giuffre and eventually paid her a sum estimated to be in millions of dollars for an out-of-court settlement. While there are increasing calls to strip him of his formal title, Andrew remains the Duke of York.

Will the Royal Family unite?

No formal announcement has been made yet but the big fat Royal Family has been shrinking. There was a time when more than 40 people appeared on the balcony for previous celebrations. Over the years, the numbers have been limited.

For the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, there were 18 people on the balcony, including the late Queen. There were only six royals who made an appearance for the Diamond Jubilee in 2022.

At a time when the popularity of the British monarchy is on the decline, there is no better opportunity than the photo-op to send out a message that the Royal Family is united. But after dirty linen has been washed in public, can they simply smile and wave to the cameras?

We won’t have to wait too long to find out.

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