Prince Harry appeared to extend a subtle yet significant olive branch to the rest of the Royal family recently when it was announced the long-delayed paperback release of his memoir Spare would finally hit shelves in October — without any new content. Wasting a prime opportunity to dish out more dirt on his relatives led many to think Harry was looking to ameliorate his reputation in the eyes of the Royals, maybe even with the hopes of returning to the fold.
The evidence suggests the Duke of Sussex may miss some of his old Royal duties. The international visits he and wife Meghan Markle have embarked on this year — first Nigeria this spring and then Colombia in August — are notable for being Royal tours in all but name. And yet to make a grand bid to re-enter the Royal space less than five years after his fractious split from the family would be one bold move indeed. Is this really what Harry is planning?
Prince Harry insider gives verdict on whether Duke of Sussex is really planning a Royal return
According to The Daily Mail (via Express), Harry was seriously considering making moves to restore his relationship with the Royals, to the extent that he and his advisors had drawn up a “blueprint” for what was apparently dubbed his “comeback campaign” — outlining the steps he would need to undertake to make it happen. Harry’s team were allegedly searching for a campaign leader to coordinate the plan, with the duke’s former private secretary, Ed Lane Fox, believed to be the top contender.
All this seemed plausible, if something of a major left-turn from what we had heard previously about Harry’s position, but “well-placed sources” are saying that The Mail‘s claims couldn’t be further from the truth. The Telegraph is reporting that rumors of Harry’s return have been greatly exaggerated as their insiders maintain that Harry is extremely “happy” in his life with Meghan and their two children in California. The prince is said to have many “amazing” friends in the U.S. and is excited about the several projects he has in the works.
Harry certainly has a busy month ahead of him, which should stave off any misgivings he may or may not have about being on the outside looking in. He’ll be heading to New York for two weeks this September — without his family — to take part in back-to-back summits, UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week. That’s on top of celebrating his 40th birthday on Sep. 15, which will see him inherit a hefty sum from his great-grandmother — something that brother Prince William is allegedly not too happy about.
In addition, although the Sussexes’ Netflix deal hasn’t been quite as lucrative as hoped, the couple have at least one new series apiece in the works for the streamer — while Meghan has a cooking and lifestyle series coming out, Harry has produced a docuseries all about the U.S. polo scene. Exactly how he’s supposed to have squeezed a secret plot to catapult himself back onto the Royal path into his busy schedule is anyone’s guess.
