Royal headache: Meghan, the Queen & Harry home to face the music…
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have caused upset with their recent comments over US politics, whilewhile there is speculation that Harry is limbering up to come home for a ‘tough’ conversation
They are carving out a new life in LA with their 17-month-old son Archie, thousands of miles away from the Royal family.
But for some, Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, may have taken their break with the Palace a step too far, when they decided to speak out recently about politics in the United States.
In a video message for American magazine Time, the Sussexes talked about the need to reject ‘hate speech, misinformation and online negativity’ – which some interpreted as urging people to vote against Donald Trump in the presidential election.
And some have argued that a British prince has very little right to interfere where US politics are concerned.
Furious American politician Jason Smith, a congressman from Missouri, went so far as to demand – in a letter to the British Ambassador – that the Queen strip Meghan and Harry of their Royal titles, arguing that it was ‘inappropriate’, and that they were using their voices ‘to influence American voters’.
This follows Trump’s own words last month, when he openly slammed the couple, saying: ‘I’m not a fan of hers… but I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he’s going to need it.’
It would be quite a leap to imagine the Queen stripping the title of her grandson – who she is famously fond of. But you can be quite sure she is furious and deeply embarrassed at the outcry over Harry and Meghan’s recent actions.
Most recently, there was the podcast the pair recorded at their Santa Barbara home with three high school students, discussing mental health (during which Meghan claimed she was ‘the most trolled person online in the world’ in 2019).
The 39-year-old seemed to cement her non-neutral stance by wearing a T-shirt and mask seeming to refer to the late Supreme Court judge, Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a feminist trailblazer.
Brand management expert Eric Schiffer has said the couple could be alienating fans: ‘That is like asking for a war with a part of America at a time when they want to build their brand.’ One can only imagine how the latest controversy will have gone down with the Firm. Since her grandson and his American wife left the UK, it seems to be one headache after another for Her Majesty.
There are, meanwhile, rumours that Royal aides are preparing Frogmore Cottage
for Prince Harry, who it has been speculated may be coming home soon, possibly without Meghan Markle, to face the music – or rather, a very stern scolding from the Queen over his activities in America. However, this may not come to pass – sources close to the Prince have been quoted as saying he’s not considering such a trip during the pandemic.
It follows news that Harry is thought to have spent a significant amount to pay rent and clear the bill for £2.4m taxpayer-funded renovations to his UK home.
In doubt or no, if the Queen and Prince Harry did meet face-to-face in the grounds of Windsor Castle, to which Her Majesty recently returned for work, you can imagine there’d be plenty to talk about.
Not only surrounding Harry and Meghan’s political activism while in America, but also Harry’s US visa situation.
Having been based in the US for over 183 days now, the Prince could well be now legally obliged to pay tax there, as the Internal Revenue Service there requires any foreigner spending 183 days in the country during a three-year period to pay US taxes on worldwide earnings.
In theory, Harry would have to leave the US until 2023 – if he wanted to avoid a huge bill and the revealing of every single source of income – including any gifts from Prince Charles, trust funds, savings accounts or other assets in the UK. Not the kind of scrutiny from the US taxman that the Royals will welcome gladly.
There is also the not-small matter of a controversial new book, Battle of Brothers, grabbing fresh headlines.
Published last Thursday, it focuses on the deterioration of Harry and Prince William’s relationship and their rumoured ‘rift’, and will no doubt have caused further upset behind Palace doors.
Author Robert Lacey claimed in a recent newspaper interview: ‘There was personal animosity in the palace towards Meghan – and the feeling is mutual.
‘There was somebody in the palace – and I can’t name them – who hated Meghan. There is no love lost there.’
If Harry and his grandmother do have that talk – on the phone or in person – it could be an extremely tense one.
Was royal biographer Penny Junor close to the bone, when she said recently, ‘Harry and Meghan have burnt some significant bridges, that may be beyond repair’?
We’ll have to wait and see…
‘What they’re doing is like asking for a war with part of America’