While there is no reason to believe that King Charles III’s reign is nearing its end, royal protocol requires that long-term preparations for a monarch’s eventual passing be carefully mapped out. Now, recent reporting has shed light on details of those plans — including some surprising elements involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

According to The Telegraph, early drafts of Operation Menai Bridge — the codename for King Charles’s funeral — suggest that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will play visible roles in the ceremonial proceedings. These revelations may come as a surprise to some royal watchers, especially given the couple’s estrangement from the core of the royal family since stepping back from their duties in 2020.

Despite strained relations, it seems that Charles envisions a future where his family presents a united front, particularly during a moment of national mourning. Sources close to the palace suggest that the King is keen to leave behind a legacy of cohesion, not division — even if recent years have told a different story.

Harry, now based in California with Meghan and their two children, has made it clear in past interviews and legal filings that he does not feel safe bringing his family back to the UK without full police protection. But as a royal funeral would be considered a state event, the Sussexes would automatically fall under the umbrella of the government’s official security arrangements for the duration of the ceremonies.

Behind the scenes, such plans are years in the making. Funerals of reigning monarchs are typically coordinated with extraordinary attention to detail by senior officials from the royal household, the military, the police, and the Church of England. Every protocol — from procession routes to the order of mourners — is scripted well in advance to ensure flawless execution when the time eventually comes.

A shared royal stage, if only briefly

One of the most notable elements of the early reports is that Prince Harry is expected to walk alongside his brother, Prince William — by then King William V — at the front of the royal procession through central London. The brothers’ last joint appearance in such a setting was at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022, a deeply symbolic moment that many hoped would signal reconciliation. Instead, tensions between them have reportedly grown since then, fuelled in part by Harry’s memoir Spare and a string of public interviews.