Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has got what they always wanted, commentators claim (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will get “what they always wanted” during their trip to the UK as their royal exit deal is upended, commentators claim. The Duke of Sussex is expected to be joined by the Duchess of Sussex and possibly Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet on the five-day trip to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
The trip has sparked fierce debate about the motives behind the visit and how the Sussexes might benefit from a reunion with the Royal Family. Alison Boshoff, the Daily Mail’s Editor at Large, citing a friend of the Duke, said Harry‘s imminent UK visit will be low-key and family-focused in addition to official Invictus events.
Prince Harry will have to ‘play with a straight bat’ when he visits the UK (Image: Getty)
Ms Boshoff contrasted this with the Sussexes’ recent trip Down Under, which she said was “so bad” and proved why the late Queen was right not to agree to Harry and Meghan’s proposal to be half in and half out of the royal family.
This would have seen Harry and Meghan pursuing their own money-making schemes while also representing the monarch. It was rejected by the monarch at a meeting in Sandringham before the couple stepped back as senior working royals.
Ms Boshoff told The Royalist podcast that the discussion with her source turned to the Australia trip, which sparked criticism from some that the couple had mixed elements of a royal tour with commercial ventures.
The Sussexes have insisted the money-making parts of the trip were aimed at raising funds for their philanthropic work.
Ms Boshoff, citing her source, said some circles suggest a new arrangement means Harry will be able to do his “quasi-royal” work and sell things in the US and elsewhere around the world, but in the UK, he will have to “play with a straight bat”.
This means no mention of Meghan’s As Ever products in the UK or the Duchess bringing a pot of her jam to King Charles then going public with it afterwards to promote her brand, according to the royal watcher.
Prince Harry ‘gets to come back and be part of the Royal Family’ (Image: Getty)
Ms Boshoff added: “In those circumstances, he gets to come back and be part of the Royal Family and be what he always said he was… ‘I’m a working royal’. So he gets what he always wanted.”
Podcast host, Tom Sykes, said it appeared to him Harry had “won” and the King “rolled over” by agreeing to a “comprehensive renegotiation” of the Sandringham summit.
This was the name given to a meeting held on January 13, 2020, in which the late Queen, Prince William, Charles and Harry thrashed out an agreement on the Sussexes’ future roles.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying that by stepping away from the Royal Family, it would not be possible for Harry and Meghan to “continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service”.
On whether or not the Duchess of Sussex would join Harry, Mr Sykes claimed: “In some shape or form it will happen because I think Meghan is absolutely desperate to have proximity to the Royal Family to juice her brand again.”
He claimed that ultimately the trip signals the end of the agreement reached at the Sandringham summit.
Ms Boshoff said it was clear the Sussexes have been working on their comeback for a while, citing her source who suggested it has been in the offing since January.
She suggested Harry and the King’s public pronouncements have been in “lock step” since around that time, including on Ukraine and antisemitism.
The writer said: “My contact said Harry’s been proving that he’s grown up. He’s proving that he can be trusted… [Harry and Meghan] have been working hand in glove with some people, who like them, in Charles’s court and this is the result.
“This is not just a visit. This is more. This is actually a reintroduction into the family and into the institution.”