Palace insiders have weighed in with their views on Harry having a ‘hybrid’ royal role

PRINCE Harry has a few obstacles in his way before he can win back over the British public, according to a royal expert.

Veteran royal correspondent Valentine Low spoke to The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show about what would need to change for the Duke of Sussex to return to duties.

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Prince Harry must do two key things to return to the royal fold, according to a royal expertCredit: Getty

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties in 2020 but Harry is said to be up for helping out following King Charles’ illnessCredit: Getty

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Both King Charles and Kate Middleton are recovering from recent hospital visitsCredit: AFP

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It was previously reported that Prince Harry is willing to be a working royal again to help support his father following his cancer diagnosis, insiders claim.

Valentine told The Sun’s royal correspondent Matt Wilkinson: “First of all there is the general principle of ‘do their commercial activities in the United States, do they in any way impinge on royal activities?’

“Nothing is going to taint the monarchy, and that was always the late Queen’s fear, that what they did commercially – which could be perfectly valid – would taint the brand or the mystique of the monarchy.

“The other is personal, Harry and Meghan have said so many things about William, about Camilla, about his own father.

“You would have thought there are huge barriers for him to coming over and doing anything.

“In the long run, can I completely rule it out? No, I don’t think I can.

“There could be a world – but I think it’s so far off, I don’t think you can consider it for the moment.”

However, palace sources say Harry will not be allowed the “half in, half out” hybrid royal role he once sought amid claims he has offered to make a temporary royal return.

Earlier this month Prince Harry flew thousands of miles from his California home to be at the King’s side following his cancer news.

Palace insiders insist the 2020 Megxit deal barring Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, from such an arrangement remains in place. One said no offer had been made.

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A source added: “How could this even work? Is Harry really saying he’d fly back from California to attend an investiture?

“The Queen, Prince William, Princess Anne and Edward and Sophie are more than capable of holding the fort.

“And what would it mean for Meghan? Are we seriously thinking she could also have a hybrid role?”

What was Megxit?

On January 7 of that year, we revealed Meghan and Harry’s bombshell plans to move to North America and split from the royal family.

And on January 9, after the Sussexes had confirmed their plans on Instagram without telling Queen Elizabeth II, we used the headline ‘Megxit’.

Modelled on Brexit – the term coined after Brits voted to leave the EU in 2016 – Megxit has now made Collins Dictionary’s top 10 list of new words.

On January 7, we exclusively told how Prince Harry and Meghan were set to cut ties with the Royal Family and move abroad to start their new life together.

The Sun also revealed how the Sussexes wanted to relocate their office to Canada and drop their HRH titles.

And just a day later, the senior royals announced on Instagram their plan to “step back” from their duties and become financially independent.

The pair said they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role,” while still supporting Queen Elizabeth.

Harry and Meghan also said they would split their time between the UK and North America – but they’ve so far spent the majority of the year in their £11 million Californian home.

Megxit was inspired by the term Brexit – which was Collins’ Word of the Year in 2016 following the EU referendum which saw Brits miraculously vote to leave the bloc.

But a source for the Sussexes insisted the Duke was not seeking a return.

They said: “Do I think if he was asked by his family to help, he would? I can’t imagine he wouldn’t try. Do I think he’d offer on his own? No.”

In 2020 the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the bombshell announcement that they were stepping back from royal duties.

They have now relocated to California, and live there with their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.

 

Since stepping back from royal duties, Harry’s strained relationship with his family has been unveiled through his bombshell Spare memoir, and tell-all interviews with the likes of Oprah Winfrey.

In the controversial biography, Harry claimed Kate Middleton made Meghan cry, “grimaced” when Meghan asked to borrow her lip gloss and had a furious bust-up over comments about her hormones.

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The Princess of Wales is currently recovering from her abdominal surgery