King Charles III was officially coronated on Saturday in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The first coronation of a new British monarch in 70 years, it was a major event attended by royals and heads of state from around the world.
But one notable absence was Meghan Markle, wife of Charles’ son Prince Harry. Markle has famously been the center of many of the family’s recent PR scandals, from the couple’s decision to relocate to the US to their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that cast the monarchy in a negative light.
Unsurprisingly, Meghan was not exactly at the top of the guest list for Charles’ big event, and during the coronation the Duchess of Sussex stayed at home in California with her two children Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet…
…or did she?
One bizarre new theory says that Meghan actually was in attendance, but was dressed in disguise.
The theory gained traction on social media after royal watchers tuning in to the coronation noticed a peculiar face in the crowd: a man with a thick gray mustache, mop of hair and tinted glasses.
To many people, it looked like a certain someone in a disguise: “Megan [sic] you’re not fooling us,” wrote Twitter user Bob Cryer.
Others joined in, suggesting Meghan drank a Polyjuice potion (a human disguise potion from the Harry Potter universe) or that it was actress Tilda Swinton in costume.
“I don’t know much about #Coronation . But I do know this is Meghan Markle in disguise,” another tweet reads.
“Meghan really should’ve picked a more convincing disguise,” another wrote.
While it’s fun and tempting to imagine Meghan Markle disguising herself in drag to secretly attend the coronation, there’s a simpler explanation.
The conspicuous-looking figure who drew so much attention is actually Sir Karl Jenkins, an acclaimed Welsh composer.
Jenkins’ composition “Tros y Garreg” was performed during the coronation ceremony: according to BBC, Charles commissioned the song two decades ago when he was Prince of Wales.
The 79-year-old musician said he was honored to be included in the ceremony.
“I am very honoured. It obviously sums up Welsh culture – the harp – and he [the King] has always supported Welsh music,” he told BBC. “I don’t know whether he chose it, but he was happy to have it there. I know he likes it otherwise he wouldn’t have asked me.”
No word on how he feels about being mistaken for Meghan Markle during his big moment.
While Meghan was (probably) not at the coronation, Prince Harry did attend, and was seated in the third row. He returned to the US abruptly after the ceremony. It was his first public appearance with his family since the release of his memoir Spare.
The coronation was viewed by more than 20 million people worldwide, so it’s perhaps not surprising that plenty of memes and conspiracy theories would arise.
Some viewers claimed they saw the grim reaper lurking in the back of Westminster Abbey during the ceremony:
But fear not: according to Newsweek, the mysterious figure was identified by Westminster Abbey as a verger, a person who assists the church during services.
The things some people come up with! What do you think of this conspiracy theory that Meghan was at the coronation in disguise? Share this story and let us know your thoughts!
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