The departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from the Royal Family in 2020 divided public opinion – good riddance for some, an utter shame for others. The years since have been turbulent too: a death, a coronation, cancer diagnoses and the arrest of a former prince this side of the Atlantic; books, documentaries, lawsuits, podcasts and lifestyle brands stateside.
Prince Harry and his family have had their right to security reinstated, and he has reportedly said he wants to visit the UK more frequently – so could a reunion be on the cards? Can Prince Harry ever return to the Royal Family? Tessa Dunlop, Richard Palmer and Rebecca Reid offer their perspectives.
Prince Harry’s uncle Andrew has ensured there can be no return to official royal duties for members of the family who want to be half-in and half-out.
Before the Sandringham summit in January 2020 decided Harry and Meghan’s fate, there were courtiers who thought the couple could be part-time royals. Some cited other European monarchies where royals have occasionally had careers outside the palace but still undertaken official engagements.
But the late Queen ruled against it – and thanks to the alarming revelations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s shady business relationships with Jeffrey Epstein and other associates, including an alleged Chinese spy, the view inside Buckingham Palace has only hardened that her majesty was right to do so.
She was strongly supported six years ago by the then Prince Charles and Prince William, who had long been opposed to members of the family risking conflicts of interest by mixing private business interests with official duties on behalf of the monarchy.
Of course, that has always been easier for them to say. As future kings, they have enjoyed multi-million pound incomes from their own businesses, the heir to the throne’s hereditary Duchy of Cornwall estate, and now Charles benefits from the income of the Duchy of Lancaster. Other members of the family have appearances to keep up but have to rely largely on trust funds, if they are lucky, or the largesse of the monarch to give them the lifestyles which some of them think they deserve.
There was a fudge allowing private business as long as it did not conflict with official duties, but publicity over Andrew’s activities and his subsequent arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office have made it even harder now for taxpayer-funded royals to make money on the side.
So Harry and Meghan would have to give up their business opportunities – the speaking engagements, the television documentaries, and the lifestyle products – and return full time to Britain and a life of service to the UK and the monarchy to be welcomed back into the fold.
It is hard to see them agreeing to that or to dealing with the press pack they hate in the British royal rota. But there is an even bigger hurdle to their return: Prince William.
William has never forgiven his brother and sister-in-law for what he sees as their betrayal in deserting the Firm and then publicly levelling so many damaging allegations at the family and the institution in a television documentary series and in Harry’s memoir, Spare.
Even if the Sussexes were to give up their business interests and their life in California, returning to Britain with their tails between their legs, it looks unlikely that William would want them back.
When he eventually becomes King William V, it is likely he will want to make changes, including a further slimming down of the number of working royals supported by the taxpayer.
There is no role envisaged now for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex or their children, Prince Archie, aged six, and Princess Lilibet, four, the current sixth and seventh in line to the throne. Harry and Meghan’s assertion that they wanted their children to have royal titles to leave open the option of them doing work on behalf of the monarchy when they grew up caused bemusement at Kensington Palace.
Indeed one possibility is that, if his father does not do it in his reign, William may follow the example of other monarchies and strip some non-working royals of their titles to make the distinction between those supported by the taxpayer and the rest easier for the public to understand. That might include the Sussexes and their children as well as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
There is a difference though between what the Windsors do as a family and what they do when representing the nation on behalf of the taxpayer.
Although the chances currently look slim of any family reconciliation involving William, it cannot be ruled out completely. It is certainly possible that King Charles could welcome the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back into the fold for gatherings of the extended family if a few more fences are mended.
But even if Harry and Meghan were welcome to join the rest of the family at Sandringham, Royal Ascot, Balmoral or Windsor in future, it is hard to see a way back to official duties for the Sussexes.
Perspectives
square Opinion Can Prince Harry return to the Royal Family? Richard PalmerIn William’s plan for the monarchy – there is only one place for Harry
Tessa DunlopPushing Harry out will be King Charles’s biggest regret
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