The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made it abundantly and repeatedly clear that they will never move back to the UK on a permanent basis. Their first offer, back in 2020, was only to spend part of the year in the UK and maintaining their royal patronages. That was rejected by Queen Elizabeth II, Charles and William. The goal for some within the monarchy was to finagle a way to get Prince Harry divorced, humbled, broke and begging for forgiveness. In the past five years, the Sussexes have set themselves up brilliantly – they own a beautiful mansion, they have a successful business, they have millions in the bank. Harry is a successful author, they both have a lot of investments and interests in the US. So it’s bizarre that courtiers continue to repeatedly insist that they believe Harry is desperate to come back to the UK. It’s been five years – why are the king’s courtiers (or William’s courtiers) still yammering about this? From the Mail’s latest Eden Confidential column:
Netflix released its trailer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tacky-sounding series about polo last week, with the royals’ favourite pastime breathlessly described as ‘a sexy sport – dirty, sweaty boys riding’. A world away, the Duchess of Edinburgh had an announcement of her own – that she had become the royal patron of Plan International UK, a global children’s charity of which the late Prince Philip was formerly patron. Separately, Sophie later met survivors of the Yazidi genocide in Iraq at their photography exhibition, The Women Who Beat ISIS, in London.
There is no denying that Harry and Meghan have done admirable work for charity – particularly through their Archewell Foundation. But the contrast between Sophie’s heartfelt work and the Sussexes’ latest unregal, money-making project highlights the markedly different paths their lives have taken.
However, Palace sources have made clear to me that Sophie and her husband Prince Edward could point the way for Prince Harry and Meghan to return to royal duties.
Courtiers are increasingly convinced that Harry wants to resume his old way of life, when he felt he was using his privileged position to make a difference for worthwhile causes.
‘Harry’s heart is not in the TV stuff – anyone can see that,’ one source told me.
It’s notable that Harry does not seem to feature much in the polo series himself, even though he is a keen player. In the trailer, only his name appears, in a production credit alongside that of his wife. After King Charles’s cancer treatment was announced in February, Harry let it be known via friends that he was willing to take on a temporary royal role in support of his father. His offer was never taken up, but the California-based Prince is understood to be keen to spend more time in his homeland.
Meghan’s lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard, is yet to sell a single product almost nine months after it was launched online amid great fanfare. The couple’s deal with audio giant Spotify was ended unceremoniously and their contract with Netflix comes up for renewal next year, so their thoughts may well be turning to how to return to royal roles – and the funding that goes with it. And that’s where Edward and Sophie come in.
Although most people have long forgotten, Queen’s Elizabeth’s youngest son and his wife were caught up in controversies of their own after they tried to combine business with royal duties. Yet the couple decided to abandon their paid work and concentrate on royal duties. In return, the late Queen Elizabeth stuck by them and they have gone on to become much-loved and respected stalwarts of ‘The Firm’ over the past 20 years. True, they will never be paid millions by foreign firms, but they live a privileged and rewarding life.
‘If the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are prepared to give up their private work and return to royal life, they would be welcomed back,’ one courtier tells me. ‘Certainly, as long as King Charles is monarch.’
Therein lies a warning to the Sussexes: Prince William is unlikely to be as forgiving as his father. And, given Harry and Meghan’s disgraceful attacks on the Princess of Wales, in particular, I can fully understand why.
Something nice: at least Eden isn’t claiming that he’s speaking to sources close to the Sussexes and putting these words in Harry’s mouth (which has been done before). No, this is directly coming from Charles’s people, a promise that if the Sussexes end all of their businesses and charitable work in America, they would be “welcomed back” but only during Charles’s reign. When Charles dies, I guess they’ll have to go back to America, huh? No, that’s not actually the royalist fantasy – the fantasy is that Charles and William will both be able to control the Sussexes completely. It’s all based on Charles and William smoking their own supply too, this idea that Harry’s heart isn’t into anything they’re doing in America.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Cover Images.