is back in the U.K. this week. The stated reason for his visit is to to Queen Elizabeth II, who , and to carry out several engagements related to his . But a major question lingers over the visit: can he mend his relationships with his royal relatives?
Harry certainly wants this outcome. A sympathetic report that quoted a “friend” of the Duke of Sussex as saying, “He hasn’t given up hope of bringing his family back to the U.K. He wants to be able to show his children where he grew up. He wants them to know their family here.” This echoed Harry’s own expressed in May, when he stated, “I miss the U.K.”
But hope does not always align with reality. When Harry launched his in January 2023, it appeared to be as much an intentional declaration as it was a book. In its desperate unburdening, the memoir effectively alienated his father, brother, and stepmother overnight. While Harry has maintained limited communication with King Charles— last year following his —he has no connection with Prince William or Queen Camilla.
It is difficult to imagine Harry considering a permanent relocation. After losing a high-profile legal battle (and ) concerning the decision to remove his government-funded security detail, Harry has been evasive about whether he would ever deem it safe for Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet to set foot on British soil. Certainly, his wife is sufficiently occupied with her own projects, including the , to necessitate thinking about returning to a country where she has never felt . Yet her husband’s high-profile trip this week suggests he hasn’t abandoned attempts to sway public opinion just yet.
Monday saw Harry in London, where he remains a patron, and at his grandmother’s grave at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Tuesday observed him for a meeting with young people affected by violence, and a noticeably generous personal contribution of $1.5 million to Children in Nee. His other engagements include a reception for the Invictus Foundation, an event for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and an award named after his late mother. The itinerary closely resembles the busy schedule of any working royal. Given that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex conspicuously ceased almost all their public duties when they moved to California in 2021, this appears to signify a change in direction.
The preparations for Harry’s trip were set in motion in July. Harry’s aides, Meredith Maines and Liam Maguire, Charles’s communications secretary, Tobyn Andrae, at the Royal Over-Seas League, in what was characterized as “a positive step.” It was the first time the three had convened, and the primary subject of conversation was, predictably, whether Harry and Charles might be able to meet cordially.
To be sure, this week is improbable to significantly alter Harry’s relationship with his family. Careful planning has been undertaken to ensure he avoids encountering the Prince and Princess of Wales—they a Women’s Institute meeting at Sunningdale, Berkshire, only a few miles from Harry laying his wreath at Windsor—and there is of an . The King is , where he is anticipated to stay until the end of September, which means Harry would need an invitation to Scotland for any rapprochement.
Although nothing can be dismissed until Harry departs for California on Friday, a journey to Balmoral would consume at least half a day and would disrupt a tightly packed schedule. However, more significantly, it is unlikely that the King desires such a meeting. Harry had only months earlier unwisely that, “I’m unsure how much longer my father has. He won’t communicate with me because of this security issue.” Offense was taken at both the lack of discretion and the implied suggestion—one also occasionally murmured in other circles—that the royal communications team has not been entirely transparent about the severity and prognosis for Charles’s illness.
Meghan, naturally, will never reside in Britain full-time again. Even as she remarked on With Love, Meghan that , she has established a new and seemingly happy life for herself and her children in Montecito. The impactful 2021 , where she accused the royal family of racism and bullying, and the 2022 Netflix special clearly demonstrated her contempt for the royals and how they treated her. There are no indications that these sentiments have shifted. Yet Harry appears to be wavering. He has admitted that writing Spare was unforgivable in the royals’ estimation, but has also stated, “I would genuinely love a reconciliation with my family.”
Viewed at face value, this week’s visit to Britain represents initial, cautious steps towards reconciliation—and perhaps the first positive media attention Harry has received in a while. Nevertheless, with William being unyielding and the King distant both geographically and personally, the Duke may be disappointed if he hopes that his long-desired reconciliation is likely to occur in the foreseeable future.
