The Windsors remain bewildered by the motivation for the Sussexes’ UK return

The Sussex family returned to the UK more than a month ago, and they still haven’t said exactly why they returned or what their actual goals are. Sure, “sources” have spoken of little else, but who knows what to believe at this point. Maybe Prince Harry feels strongly about British education. Maybe King Charles is in much poorer health than anyone knows. Maybe Harry moved back specifically and solely for the Birmingham Invictus Games. Maybe Harry wants to stay in the UK for a decade or longer. Maybe Harry will move back to Montecito in a few weeks if his family doesn’t get security. Maybe Harry is once again trying to demonstrate to the Windsors that his dream of being a “half-in royal” was always possible. Well, Fox News’ royal experts had some thoughts.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been back in the UK for a month, and senior members of the royal family still don’t know what their agenda is. On Sept. 16, People reported that a palace source said, “The royal family still don’t know what their motives are,” just weeks after Harry and Markle officially moved overseas.

Royal commentators told Fox News Digital they are divided over Harry and Meghan’s return to the U.K., with some accusing the palace of undermining the couple while others said the intervention was necessary to reaffirm that they remain private citizens and will not resume a “half-in, half-out” royal role. A little over a week after Harry and Markle made their plans to relocate back to the U.K. public, King Charles issued a letter via the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Benyon, stating that they would be classified as non-working royals.

Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that the palace is undermining Harry and Meghan’s return while preventing them from creating royal-style events.

“Harry and Meghan simply want to be left in peace, allowing themselves privacy to protect their children and to cover some charity activities. The Palace, I feel, are being driven by officials and maybe William to constantly undermine this return. Officially they are making sure Harry and Meghan are not seen to be creating Royal style events,” he said. According to Turner, the letter on behalf of the king was unnecessary.

“In my mind, the act of clarification was not necessary, creating humiliation for the couple and a cowardly act by those behind the letter,” he began. “William may see the return as a distraction from his popularity and, as it seems already Harry has received some favorable accolades from people he is meeting at events — this could be an annoyance to William’s ego.”

Hilary Fordwich, British royal expert, told Fox News Digital that the letter on behalf of the king was just clarification on what they already agreed upon when Harry and Markle stepped away as senior royals in 2020.

“Harry and Meghan claim to want a private family life in Britain with access to Harry’s roots, while they repeatedly invade their own privacy. They are retaining their independent charitable and commercial careers while also posturing themselves as working royals which is directly thwarting the Sandringham agreement to refrain from monetizing their titles. The Palace’s public intervention demonstrates the concerns surrounding their posturing with official royal type activities. The public clarification from King Charles III was another line in the sand, restating what was already agreed regarding the Sussexes departure for the US in 2020.”

“The Lord Chamberlain’s letter not only stated that the Sussexes were actually not undertaking royal engagements, it reiterated no change in their status, clarified that they are no longer working royals and that their HRH styles remain in abeyance,’ Fordwich noted. Adding: “The unusually explicit institutional language clearly indicated the degree of royal frustration regarding the Sussexes. It certainly didn’t state anything regarding the couple leaving Britain. It was more of an attempt to mitigate the ambiguity and blurred roles the couple keep creating, which is reputationally damaging to the royal brand, particularly due to the commercial aspects, as monetizing the monarchy is so distasteful.”

[From Fox News]

I’m a little bit surprised that Ian Pelham Turner came in hot?? “William may see the return as a distraction from his popularity and, as it seems already Harry has received some favorable accolades from people he is meeting at events — this could be an annoyance to William’s ego.” My impression was also that Lord Chamberlain’s letter was something done to placate William, something William demanded to put Harry and Meghan in their place. But I’ve also come around to the idea that Harry (maybe not so much Meghan) really did return to the UK with the idea that he could force the larger conversation about his royal role, that he could become half-in through the backdoor. I also think that Harry & Meghan’s motivations are still largely obscured for the Windsors, not to mention for the rest of us in the cheap seats. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it just… hasn’t. And that’s extremely weird.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Instar.