Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle split from the monarchy in 2020 and moved to the U.S., speculation about a potential return to the U.K. and to working roles within the royal family has circulated online and in the tabloid media.

In interviews, documentaries and books, Harry has repeatedly stated that it was never his intention to completely surrender his role as a working member of the royal family. Instead, he had hoped initially to negotiate a working model where he and Meghan could split their time between the U.K. and North America, while fulfilling part-time duties and also seeking to become financially independent.

At an infamous meeting with , the now and in 2020 ,” Harry claimed that a “half in, half out” option was denied to him, leaving him with only two choices—all in or all out.

Harry’s position has been that he felt it was in the best interests of his wife and child’s safety and mental health that they leave Britain due to the toxicity of the tabloid media plus strained relationships within the royal family and household.

Harry has been asked by interviewers if he would ever consider rejoining the monarchy but the issue, he has suggested, is far from simple.

Here, Regalrumination.com looks at everything has said about he possibility of returning as a working royal.

‘I Can’t See That Happening’

Since , Harry and have shared their experiences as working royals and the influencing factors which led to their move in interviews and media projects.

The most extensive of these was .

To promote the publication of the book—which became the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time—the prince took part in two major longform interviews for British and American television.

In the U.S., Harry for a special edition of 60 Minutes on .

Toward the end of their conversation, Cooper asked Harry outright: “Can you see a day when you would return as a full-time member of the royal family?” to which the prince replied: “No. I can’t see that happening.”

‘If My Father Asks Us’

In his interview for British audiences, the prince offered a more nuanced response to a similarly posed line of questioning, stressing as he has in previous interviews that splitting completely from the monarchy wasn’t his intention or wish.

“Do you still believe in the monarchy?” he was asked by ITV network anchor Tom Bradby in a special show dedicated to the release of Spare.

“Yes,” Harry said. “I talk about it in the book.”

The broadcaster then asked if the prince believed he will ever “?”

To this Harry said he didn’t know and, when pushed to say whether he “hoped” he would by Bradby, responded that it wasn’t that simple.

“It’s not about hoping,” he said. “Going back to the initial proposal, [which] was we always wanted to continue to serve, we just didn’t want to be based and living in the U.K. all the time. One of the main reasons for that was to remove ourselves from this competition that was happening for the front pages.”

He then suggested that there was at least some room for negotiation regarding his working role.

“So, you know, if my father asks us for support across the Commonwealth then that is certainly an open discussion,” he said. “But I’m here [in America] now, Tom, and my family’s now here. You know, we’re doing the same thing, the same job over there, no taxpayer funding, right? It’s not the way that I wanted it to happen, but I have now created a life for my family where I feel safer. Right? So, who knows what’s gonna happen.”

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