Love them or loathe them (there’s rarely anything in-between), Harry and Meghan dominated the news this week – but did they achieve their goal?
COMMENT
Since the day Prince Harry and Meghan dropped the bombshell that they were moving back to the UK, six years after their turbulent departure, many more questions have arisen than answers have been provided.
Chief among them: why have they seemingly returned to a life so closely resembling the one they sensationally quit six years ago?
With the delivery of their Nottingham multi-stop day out, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s UK relaunch is now official.
There were media pools in operation, crowd barriers, wellwishers clutching gifts, flowers and cards, and a series of carefully-orchestrated meet-and-greets with charity staff, volunteers and young people, meaning it was – on the surface, at least – a royal visit.
“It’s great to be back,” a beaming Meghan told the crowd.
And like it or not, “back” they certainly are.
Coverage of the engagements was splashed across Britain and well beyond. The couple, I’m told by sources close to them, are “very happy” with their first official day of engagements together, and feel it couldn’t have gone better.
As for how it landed with everyone else?
That really depends on which camp we’re making the judgement from.
According to multiple reports in the UK press, the Palace is – as you’d expect – irritated and frustrated by the fact that two rival courts are now effectively in action.
For instance, the King, accompanied by the Queen, was in Wales on Thursday to open parliament – a significant event, especially as it was his first time doing so as monarch.
No prizes for guessing which royal outing won the day in front pages and column inches.
The large section of the British public, already furious about Harry and Meghan’s return, are also further enraged by Thursday’s royal-lite event.
But there seems to finally be an acceptance from the Sussexes that, for the most part, they’re never going to sway their long-ago vote on them anyway. So actually... how much does it matter to them?
After six years living abroad, for anyone in doubt, the Sussexes have proven they still have the power to generate a massive buzz of attention when they step out publicly.
In that regard, they passed their first major UK test. If this is the model they plan to continue with – which, I was told quite bluntly it is – then their trial run was undeniably a success.
“There is no confusion – on their part – about why they’re doing these sorts of engagements,” a close friend of the Sussexes said.
“It’s very simple. They are doing what they want, when they want, how they want.
“They aren’t taxpayer funded like others, so why shouldn’t they live their lives the way choose?”
The couple themselves looked utterly thrilled as they toured a trio of charities and organisations that they’ve long had close ties with, and on whose invitation they were visiting the English city.
For those involved with the initiatives, it shone a massive spotlight on the incredible – and often overlooked – work they do. Having two of the most famous people in the world, even a couple whose exact royal status is currently both blurred and controversial, provided a rare boost of well-deserved attention.
More broadly, Harry and Meghan have not exactly been welcomed back to Britain with open arms, with many of their critics accusing them of attempting to get back in the royal fold to improve their “brand” currency
If Thursday’s carefully-orchestrated and well-executed day of engagements had been an audition to re-enter royal life, they’d likely have passed. It had everything the royals aim for on these visits: global media coverage, an emphasis on important charitable causes, candid and colourful photo ops.
But Britain has not forgiven their once-favourite son and the bride-to-be he first introduced to the public in Nottingham almost nine years ago to the day. Such would be the outcry if the couple did return to any sort of official career, the King felt it necessary to release an astonishing letter via his Lord Chamberlain last month, reiterating their status as “private individuals”.
There was some indignation from the Sussex camp at the time, but the real pushback came on Thursday with their delivery of a royal-in-all-but-name visit.
The key difference, all these years on from their last such engagement on British soil, is that now it’s “on their own terms”, as a friend of the pair’s explained.
This is the blueprint for their future now – Harry undertaking these sorts of outings regularly, Meghan joining him occasionally but largely focusing on As Ever and the relaunch of her acting career – and the test run saw no major issues, bar the outcry from their critics.
In April, during a visit to Ukraine, Harry flatly denied that he recognised the phrase “not a working royal” as a description of himself.
“No. I will always be part of the royal family,” Harry told reporters.
At this point, it’s clear the backlash from the usual parties is not going to impact their direction of travel – and more than six weeks after their extraordinary return to the UK, it looks like Harry and Meghan have now officially laid all their cards on the table.
