Oprah Winfrey says Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should think about what is 'best for them and their family' if they decide to go to the coronation

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not announced if they will attend King Charles' coronation.
• On Thursday, Oprah Winfrey told CBS's Gayle King her thoughts on the matter.
• Winfrey recommends the couple do what's best for their family, though they haven't asked her advice.

Oprah Winfrey weighed in on whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should attend King Charles III's coronation.

On Thursday, Winfrey appeared on "CBS Mornings" for a conversation with her longtime friend Gayle King.

During the appearance, King asked Winfrey whether or not she thought Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should attend Charles' coronation, which will take place on May 6. 

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed to the BBC on March 5 that they had been invited to the coronation, but they have yet to announce whether or not they will attend.

Representatives for the couple did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

Winfrey told King she thinks Harry and Meghan should decide based on what's right for their family.

"I think they should do what they feel is best for them and for their family," she said. "That's what I think. That's what the bottom line comes down to: What do you feel like is the best thing for you?"

"They haven't asked me my opinion," she added.

Winfrey has been close to Harry and Meghan for years now, and they notably sat down with her in 2021 for a tell-all interview about their experience with the royal family. 

In the 2021 interview, the couple said members of the royal family made racist remarks about Archie, the firm disregarded Meghan's mental-health issues, Kate Middleton made Meghan cry during the week of her wedding, and Charles cut the couple off financially following their step back. 

Despite her close relationship with the couple, Winfrey told King in a September 2022 conversation that she does not "get into people's family matters" when she was asked if she thought Harry and Meghan could reconcile with the royal family after Queen Elizabeth died. 

"Everybody who has experienced some challenges in their families with in-laws or brothers or sisters knows how difficult some of those situations can be, and I'm sure that, you know, for the royal family it's no different," she said. "Nobody consults me about their family business, so I try to stay out of people's family business."

Although Winfrey deferred to Harry and Meghan's judgment for the coronation, royal watcher Kristen Meinzer and the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, Eric Schiffer, told Insider it would be in the entire royal family's best interest if Harry and Meghan attended the coronation. 

"If they choose not to go, I think they know the world will be watching and there'll be a lot of questions about why they're not there," Meinzer said, adding that attending would also give Harry and Meghan the opportunity to heal with the royals.

Schiffer said their attendance would also help solidify King Charles' position as the leader of not only the monarchy but also the royal family.

"The coronation highlights someone who has worked to try, despite 'Spare' and other background noise, to bring the family together in a careful way," he said. 

Tensions have appeared to be thawing between the royals in recent weeks following the release of the Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan" and Harry's memoir "Spare."

According to People, Harry and Meghan invited Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton to their daughter's christening, though they didn't attend, and the royal family updated its website to refer to their children as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.