‘I’m Coming HOME!’
With the monarchy in crisis, Prince Harry is ready to race to King Charles’ and Prince William’s rescue — without wife Meghan Markle
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been ramping up their engagements this year. In February, after launching a new website, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to Canada for a series of events related to next year’s Invictus Games. On Feb. 27, Harry, who has been a patron of the U.K. charity WellChild for 15 years, announced the nominations for the organization’s awards. In March, he supported his wife on International Women’s Day at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and then chatted virtually with recipients of the Diana Awards, named for his late mother, a few days later. Then on March 21, the pair hosted a special event for the Kinsey African American Art and History Collection in LA. “They’ve kept a busy schedule,” says a source, “doing exactly the kind of appearances they would have done if they’d stayed in the royal family.”
It’s what Harry does best. “He finds this work – community outreach and bringing attention to humanitarian causes — incredibly fulfilling,” says the source. “He’s missed it since leaving his role with the royal family.” That’s not all he missed after moving more than 5,000 miles away to Montecito, Calif. “On one explosive night after Charles and Kate had both announced their cancer diagnoses, Harry reached his breaking point. He’s been really worried and made a desperate plea to Charles,” says the source. “He wants to reconcile with the family and pitch in to help at this time of need. He’s told them he’s coming home.”
MEGHAN WON’T BUDGE
Harry who was in town for less than 24 hours in February after learning of his father’s illness, had already been planning to visit more often. He’s expected back for an event celebrating the Invictus Games’ 10th anniversary on May 8, and one of his best friends, Hugh Grosvenor – who is also his 4-year-old son Archie’s godfather – is getting married in June. “These are good excuses for him to be there and also work in some quality time with his family,” says the source. But Meghan, 42, “is still refusing to set foot in the U.K. again after everything that’s happened with Harry’s family. It’s emotional for her to think that he’s willing to walk out of the home they’ve made together to go back to be with those people, and she’s definitely vowed to keep the kids in California.”
The royals aren’t clamoring to reunite with her either. “There’s a tendency to blame Meghan for a lot of the choices Harry has made, so he probably has a better chance of mending fences alone,” says the source, adding that while Charles, 75, is “likely to be forgiving, Harry has an uphill battle with the Prince and Princess of Wales.” William, 41, and Kate, 42, were particularly stung by Harry’s many jabs at them in interviews, and the fact that he shared intimate conversations with them in his tell-all book, Spare, says the source. “He’s definitely going to have to earn their trust back slowly. It will be hard to convince him that he’s coming to pitch in from a sincere place.”
There are selfish reasons as well. “It can get quite lonely for Harry in California without his lifelong friends around,” says the source. To that end, adds another insider, he’s hoping to enjoy some time with all his old mates ahead of his milestone 40th birthday in September, “which may annoy Meghan because he tends to really let loose around them. Their marriage is already hanging by a thread over his decision to rejoin the royal fold.”
PATH TO REDEMPTION
She needn’t worry too much. “There are no plans for him to move back for good,” the source says of Harry, who recently insisted, “My family and my life in California is as it is.” Instead, he’s “open to representing the family at various events abroad. There are plenty of Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, that are a much easier commute for him.”
Even closer, Canada would be the obvious choice to start. “They adore the royals there. It would be a great place for Harry to pop up and do a few royal engagements,” says the source. And while Meghan will be busy with her just-launched, mysterious American Riviera Orchard brand, the former actress lived in Toronto while filming Suits, then briefly in Vancouver after marrying Harry, “and loves Canada,” adds the source. “So, she might be more easily persuaded to visit in an official capacity.” (Plus, the Firm may help pay for security if Harry and Meghan are working, which has always been a major issue for the pair.)
It’s exactly the kind of hybrid role the Duke and Duchess of Sussex proposed before their controversial “Megxit” in 2020. The late queen rejected the idea, “but obviously a lot has changed since then, and Charles and William are more realistic about the fact that they do need more family members who can do this very unique job,” says the source. “And they can’t deny that reuniting with Harry and putting the past behind them would have a positive effect on the family’s image.”
Their relationships will probably never go back to the way they were. “There’s been too much hurt on both sides,” acknowledges the source. “But they could find a way to repair some of the damage. The next couple of months will be very telling. Harry needs to realize he doesn’t have to choose between his loyalty to Meghan and his duty to his family. He can be a meaningful part of both worlds.” ◼