Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Skipped the 2023 Met Gala

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are no strangers to American red carpet events, but the royal couple has yet to step out for a major U.S. award show or Met Gala. That didn’t change tonight. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remained in California as the Met Gala unfolded in New York City. The event comes days before Harry will fly to the U.K. to attend his father King Charles’ coronation on May 6.

Meghan, of course, is staying in California and will be celebrating their son Archie’s fourth birthday, which is the same day as Charles’ coronation.

Part of the challenge of Meghan and Harry’s attending the Met Gala involves the amount of security they would need at the high profile, celeb-packed event. For example, back in 2018, the couple reportedly almost served as Oscar presenters, but logistics and security concerns stopped that from happening.

“There were calls back and forth between teams, some early fashion queries were even made,” gossip blogger Elaine Lui wrote on LaineyGossip at the time. Lui broke the news and detailed that ultimately, the way the carpet is run—with some guests just walking in, and others doing carpet interviews/being on display for the press—would make it very complicated for Harry and Meghan to slip in safely. “I’m told, at last check, they couldn’t make it work,” she wrote, adding that “my sources told me, though the willingness was strong on both sides, it’s very unlikely that it will happen.”

Meghan and Harry were working royals at the time, perhaps adding more complications.

Harry has been in court, though, trying to fight for his right to pay for police protection out of pocket while he’s in the U.K. Royal protection officers are tax-funded for working royal family members. Harry and Meghan stepped back from their senior working royal family roles in 2020.

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.