BREAKING NEWS: Royal expert warns of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plot ‘to be at the forefront’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to return to the UK, but the Royal Family have been warned they will not be sitting in the shadows.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (Image: Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images)
The Royal Family have been cautioned that Harry and Meghan will have no desire to remain in the background upon their return to the UK. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex astonished the nation when it emerged on Wednesday that they were heading back to Britain.
While they will not assume roles as working royals, certain commentators have cautioned they will establish a competing ‘royal court’. Meghan will continue running her lifestyle brand As Ever, while Harry has voiced his ambition to launch a commercial enterprise supporting veterans.
The King is understood to have rejected any ‘half-in-half-out’ arrangements regarding the execution of royal duties, though the possibility of a full-time return has not been dismissed. That may well hinge on the response of Prince William, who is understood to be furious at the development with some insiders suggesting the relationship between monarch and heir is now at risk of collapsing.
Writing in his Royalist Substack, Tom Sykes suggests there is a “bitter institutional power struggle” between Charles and William stemming from Charles’s initial failure to address the Andrew problem. William fears his father is making that same error by allowing two “enemies of the Crown” back into the fold, with friends suggesting “the relationship between Charles and William is now as bad as it’s ever been”.
Adding to those concerns, former royal butler Grant Harrold believes the royals face a reality check if they anticipate Harry and Meghan will shun the spotlight. Speaking to Casinohawks, he said: “I think this is going to be the big thing for both the Royal Family and the Sussexes to work out. What will they actually do all day?”
“Their post-royal work attempts haven’t really gone to plan, so what’s next? I don’t think either Meghan or Harry will be happy to just settle into a quiet UK life in the background, they will want to be at the forefront. I think they believe they can live a life of ‘unofficial royals’, similar to what they’ve been doing in the US but with a more engaging UK audience.
“I think they will do charity work and engagements, but just for themselves rather than on behalf of the King. Meghan will continue with her As Ever range, so we could see that launch in the UK – and I think that would do really well. Lots of the big estates have these kinds of ranges, including Highgrove, so I think it could be a hit.
“I think Harry will put a real focus on next year’s Invictus Games, and I think we will see him doing a lot of work to promote that. But what else? Could we see him in the I’m A Celebrity jungle? I think it’s unlikely but who knows at this point, we know he likes to tell his story.
“TV networks will jump at the chance to get him on, whether that’s as a charity contestant or as guest judge.”
Mr Harrold forecasts a Christmas invitation to Sandringham, though only on the condition that they “behave”. He continued: “They will have to come quietly and do their own thing. Public opinion will have to believe they are here for the right reasons.”
