Coronation Guest Accused of Being 'Meghan Markle in Disguise' Speaks Out

A famous British composer has broken his silence after social media fans joked he was "Meghan Markle in disguise" during King Charles III's coronation ceremony on Saturday.

Eagle-eyed viewers of the coronation coverage took to social media to question whether a man sitting in a prominent place in Westminster Abbey wearing glasses and a moustache was in fact Charles' daughter-in-law Meghan, who caused a stir in April when it was announced she would not travel to Britain from California for the royal event.

Now identified as Sir Karl Jenkins, the musical composer best known for the 1995 song "Adiemus," he has spoken out in his own social media post surrounding the theories as to who he is and why he was at the coronation.

In a video, posted to his official TikTok account karljenkinsofficial, the composer explained: "My name is Sir Karl Jenkins. I understand there has been a lot of interest in me since I appeared at the coronation of King Charles III. I was there because I'd written some music for the service really."

He continued to address the suggestion of his being the king's daughter-in-law and other theories, saying: "I was quite surprised that some people thought I was Meghan Markle in disguise. Someone wrote I was there, whoever I was, to steal the crown jewels. I look this way all the time."

"I had, in addition, this round my neck," he explained holding a ribbon and medal to camera. "Which is what they give people when they get a knighthood. This goes around my neck, over which my tie came...Oh, and my moustache has been referred to in The Times as well, but I've had the moustache since I was 18 years old. It was very trendy then. So, that's me. Nothing sinister or surprising at all!"

Jenkins was seated at the coronation in the choir stalls of Westminster Abbey, close to where King Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned. He was sitting with fellow Brit composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also had his compositions played during the ceremony.

Featured in a number of the photographs shared to social media questioning Jenkins' identity, Lloyd Webber authored his own tongue-in-cheek response on Twitter.

Replying to a Twitter user's post that said: "I don't know much about the #Coronation but I do know this [Jenkins] is obviously a disguise and 100 percent they're going to try and steal the crown jewels."

Lloyd Webber wrote: "I can confirm it probably wasn't MM [Meghan Markle] and had no jewels on his person as far as I could see—ALW."

Meghan was a trending commentary topic on coronation day, with her absence noted as Prince Harry entered Westminster Abbey alone.

It was announced in April from Buckingham Palace that: "The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."

May 6 was also the couple's son, Prince Archie's, fourth birthday.

Harry's attendance marked the first time he was publicly reunited with members of the royal family since the publication of his bombshell memoir, Spare, in which he openly criticized King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William.

Given that Harry is no longer a "working royal," he was seated behind those that are, meaning he was positioned in the third row, some distance from his brother and his family.

Following the ceremony, Harry returned almost immediately home to California.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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