Inside Prince Harry's whirlwind 28-hour visit to the UK for King Charles III's coronation

Prince Harry didn't waste any time getting back home to the US after flying to the UK for his father King Charles III's coronation this weekend.

The Duke of Sussex spent just over one full day in his home country to celebrate the newly-crowned King and Queen Consort – 28 hours and 42 minutes in total, to be exact.

Harry left royal fans guessing about his attendance at the King's coronation until the last minute, arriving solo at Westminster Abbey on May 6 while wife Meghan Markle remained home in California with their children Archie and Lilibet. 

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The 38-year-old touched down in Heathrow after an overnight flight on Friday, the day before the coronation, at 11.20am and drove to his former home Frogmore Cottage.

According to The Telegraph, Harry spent the night in Windsor and did not reunite with his father or brother Prince William before attending the coordination the next day.

Harry then arrived at Westminster Abbey alongside his cousins Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and their husbands just 10 minutes before King Charles and Camilla made their entrance.

Watch the coronation concert in full on Channel 9 and 9Now

After sitting third-row in the pews at the Abbey to watch his father and stepmother be crowned, Harry reportedly slipped out immediately after the ceremony and headed straight for Heathrow to hop on a flight back to Los Angeles.

The official coronation schedule listed the ceremony as ending at 1pm, and it seems Harry bolted the Abbey quite soon after.

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Despite reportedly being invited to a post-coronation lunch at Buckingham Palace, Harry appeared to have left Westminster Abbey just 20 minutes after the service ended.

The Telegraph reports Harry was already en route to the airport before Charles and Camilla even had their portraits taken to mark the coronation. 

Despite initial speculation, it is clear Harry will not be included in the official royal portraits.

Harry also missed the royal balcony appearance, which saw the royal family gather at Buckingham Palace to watch the RAF flyover.

The duke was in such a rush to return home he was still wearing his medals and morning suit when he arrived at Heathrow for his flight, photographs showed.

British Airways flight attendants confirmed to PA news agency that Harry had arrived in Los Angeles around 7.45pm (3.30am UK time) after hopping on a 3.45pm flight home. 

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According to reports, the 11-hour flight allowed Harry to make it home just in time to say goodnight to his son Archie.

Pictures showed Harry leaving LAX in a Range Rover around 7.30pm, embarking on the two-hour drive back to Montecito.

While Harry enjoyed a frosty reunion with the rest of the royal family at the coronation, the Duchess of Sussex stayed home to celebrate Archie's fourth birthday.

The Mail on Sunday reports Archie's birthday was a "low-key" affair, with Meghan reportedly making a lemon cake with fruit from their garden for the occasion.

It is believed Meghan celebrated her son's birthday with a small, intimate gathering including her mother Doria Ragland.