For the past few months, there has been a noticeable shift in the Duke of Sussex’s behaviour towards the royal family.
“He’s doing everything he can to make amends with King Charles – and so far things look promising,” a royal insider exclusively tells New Idea.
But while Prince Harry’s new move is all well and good, the source says “the ongoing wildcard” however, is the Duchess of Sussex.
Where does Prince Harry stand with the royal family?
“Harry is making overtures towards his family off his own back, even though there’s no guarantee that Meghan is fully on board,” adds the source.
“Harry has warned her not to jeopardise things for his comeback.”
There are many complex reasons why Harry, 40, has softened his stance towards his family, such as his dad’s cancer diagnosis.
From rushing to be by Charles’ side, even if only for 30 minutes, when the news about the monarch’s condition broke, to mentioning that he “doesn’t know how long” Charles has left in a recent BBC interview, Harry has “stepped back, in a big way, from attacking the royal institution,” says our source.
The fact that he would like to bring his children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, back to the UK could also be why Harry’s adjusting his stance when it comes to his family.
The recent London ‘peace summit’ between Sussex and Windsor representatives first alerted the world to Harry’s new tack.
Then came his July trip to Angola. As patron of The HALO Trust, Harry once again recreated his late mother Princess Diana’s famous walk through a minefield, signalling that he was willing to act in a ‘royal, business-as-usual’ way.
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But it was his offer to share his diary of official engagements with the royal family, to avoid clashes, that was truly seen by palace courtiers – and Charles – as a major olive branch.
“Even the fact that Harry has made a concerted effort to carry out more ‘solo’ engagements – that specifically don’t include Meghan, can be seen as him trying to regain favour with his family,” our source suggests.
With the conclusion of the Sussexes’ $150 million Netflix deal coming in September, and the lacklustre response to Meghan’s As Ever wine range – in addition to the label’s other lifestyle products – our royal source fears that Meghan could “grasp at straws” when it comes to making the money she and Harry need to fund their lavish lifestyle.
“Meghan’s been lying low lately, with few posts shared on her official Instagram account, but behind closed doors she’s been in numerous meetings, hashing out future plans for As Ever and having extensive discussions about launching yet another new podcast,” our source says.
Does Meghan have a memoir?
But it’s the ever-present danger that Meghan, 44, may write her own tell-all biography, like Harry’s 2023 book Spare, that has the royal family and – even Harry himself concerned.
“He’s well aware how much money a Meghan memoir could make,” our source says. “But he also doesn’t want her to threaten his big comeback.
“It’s a talking point, to put it nicely, between them in Montecito right now.”
