Will Harry and Meghan move to Africa?

THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex may live in Africa for up to three years under plans being drawn up by Palace officials, it was reported last night.

Prince Harry and Meghan will be given a ‘bespoke’ Commonwealth role starting as soon as 2020, according to a Sunday newspaper.

Sources claimed that Palace courtiers are looking at a way to take the couple away from Britain.

Moving in 2020 would give Harry and Meghan time to settle down with their first child, whose birth is expected in the coming days.

The report comes after growing speculation that relations between Harry and his brother Prince William have become increasingly fraught. It was reported that the plan has been drawn up by Sir David Manning, the former British ambassador to the US and a special adviser to the two Princes on constitutional and international matters.

The scheme came about after proposals to make Harry governorgeneral or deputy governor-general of Australia or Canada are said to have been rejected. A source told The Sunday Times: ‘Discussions are at an early stage, but the plan is to find a new way of using their soft-power abilities, most likely in Africa.’

A second source added: ‘There are discussions in Palace circles about how do we harness Harry and Meghan? How do you harness this phenomenon that has emerged? You make it productive.’

Rumours emerged last year that the Duke of Cambridge had voiced concerns about Meghan, which had upset his younger brother.

The rift between the two brothers is said to be the main reason behind Harry and Meghan’s decision to move to Windsor, rather than stay in London where they would be neighbours with the Cambridges.

A source ‘close to the Royal household’ said: ‘The view is there’s an element of letting things work out for a bit. But people have moved from containment to harnessing. There’s been a reset.’

Palace sources are believed to see the plan as a chance to replicate the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s ‘Malta moment’ – when the Royal couple lived on the Mediterranean island between 1949 and 1951. Prince Harry once said Africa is the place ‘where I feel more like myself than anywhere else in the world’.

It was after just two dates with Meghan that Harry took his future wife to Botswana where they slept ‘under the stars’.

Prince Harry is also a patron of the Rhino Conservation in Botswana and closely involved with the charity Sentebale, which is dedicated to helping children affected by the HIV virus in Lesotho and Botswana.

The Palace did not respond to requests for comment.