Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s 2020 exit from the royal family, the Duchess of Sussex’s appearances in the U.K. have been limited to Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and her funeral in 2022. That’s what makes her upcoming visit so monumental.
Royal expert Amanda Matta told Page Six that Harry has the option to do something big while he’s there. If he brings Meghan to a meeting with King Charles, it would “certainly add symbolic weight to any reunion.”
“If Meghan accompanies Harry to the UK or to a meeting with his family, it would signal to the public that any effort at rebuilding relationships extends to the Sussex family as a whole,” she explained while noting that this trip “changes the stakes” in the royal rift.
Related story
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s UK Return Reportedly Comes With an Unexpected Royal Rejection
Harry and Meghan are also bringing Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, with them, which shows the family’s willingness to foster King Charles’ relationship with his grandchildren. Matta believes that the Sussexes have warmly extended the olive branch, and now it’s up to the palace to “manage this ‘return’” well.
“If the public sees mixed signals, like suggestions of reconciliation alongside reports of ongoing or renewed tension, it would reinforce the impression that the royal family is still navigating unresolved issues behind the scenes — that they can’t get their act together, in other words,” she added.
While Charles is open to a reunion, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and surprisingly, Queen Camilla are out of the equation. The Daily Express reported that the queen “plans to deliberately avoid them from her Ray Mill home in Wiltshire.”
Historically, William and Harry were not too keen about their father marrying Camilla after their mother’s death, given the tabloid-generating love triangle, but the Duke of Sussex aired his grievances out in his 2023 memoir, Spare. Prince William has kept his dislike a little more under wraps.
For Meghan, it might be a way to reclaim her U.K. narrative; it’s what Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack described as “unfinished business.”
“This is Meghan’s project, not Harry’s. Harry has made peace with much of what happened. Meghan still believes perceptions can change,” a palace insider told Shuter. “She remembers feeling embraced by Britain,” an insider says. “Meghan believes that connection can be rebuilt, but it starts with showing up.”
The Sussexes are making a big move; now it’s up to the palace to return the favor.
More on the royal family:
Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family.
