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Prince Harry Is All Smiles as He Arrives at Westminster Abbey for King Charles' Coronation

Prince Harry Is All Smiles as He Arrives at Westminster Abbey for King Charles' Coronation

While the Duke of Sussex attended his father's crowning ceremony, his wife Meghan Markle stayed in California with their two children

Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry
Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry

Prince Harry will watch his father be crowned.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, entered Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday for the coronation of his father, King Charles, and stepmother, Queen Camilla. He smiled as he walked in with his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their husbands.

Prince Harry wore a morning suit for the occasion, following the dress code for most of the congregation. PEOPLE understands Harry was requested to wear a morning suit — and that he didn't make any specific asks regarding his outfit.

He also wore his Afghanistan service medal along with the Golden Jubilee, Diamond Jubilee and Platinum Jubilee medals. Harry also sported his KCVO neck decoration and star.

The Duke of Sussex took his seat in the third row between Princess Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, and Princess Alexandra.

Related:Why Prince Harry Is Going to the Coronation Without Meghan Markle: 'It's Become So Personal'

Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry
Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry

Prince Harry came to the U.K. for the crowning ceremony without his wife Meghan Markle, who remained in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The coronation day is also Prince Archie's 4th birthday, and a source previously told PEOPLE the Duchess of Sussex, 41, will be celebrating her son with a "low-key party at home."

Though family tensions eventually lead Prince Harry and Meghan to step back from their royal roles in 2020 and relations have remained strained since the release of his memoir Spare in January, the Duke of Sussex came to coronation out of duty and love for his father.

Andy Stenning - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry
Andy Stenning - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry

"At the end of the day, he's going to be there for his dad," a close friend recently told PEOPLE.

The coronation service marks Prince Harry's first public outing with other members of the royal family since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September, which Meghan also attended. The couple was in Europe for a series of charitable events when the Queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, hours after her doctors said they were "concerned" for her health. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex extended their trip abroad and remained in the U.K. for the funerary events that followed before returning home to California.

Prince Harry later made a surprise solo trip to London in March for court hearings that will determine whether his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers for alleged illegal information gathering goes to trial.

PEOPLE understands that Prince Harry informed King Charles and Prince William that he would be in the U.K. for the March proceedings, though it's unlikely that the father and sons got together. King Charles was abroad in Germany for the first overseas visit of the new reign, while Prince William spent time his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — during their school break.

Related:Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Roles Within the Royal Family Since Their Exit Explained

PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry
PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry

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Whatever happens during Harry's time in the U.K., "he will look back on it and think it is better to come and play his part and say, 'I saw my father crowned,' " a source close to the royal household previously told PEOPLE. "And tell his children about it."

RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

In his exclusive interview with PEOPLE in January, the Duke of Sussex said he felt like he was "exactly where I am meant to be."

When asked how he identifies today, Prince Harry said, "A husband and a father first and foremost as well as a veteran, environmentalist and mental-health advocate. I know that I want to live my life in service of others and that I want to live by example for my kids."

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