After six years of turbulence, Prince Harry may finally be heading for a positive change. Since he and Meghan walked away six years ago, the Duke of Sussex has seen family rifts, explosive interviews, a scandalous memoir, court cases, crumbling brand deals and a charity fallout dominate the headlines. He has also accused his father's court of a "good old-fashioned establishment stitch up".
A recent return overshadowed
His latest UK visit was nothing short of a disaster. The trip was overshadowed by a petty row between his team and Buckingham Palace over where he would stay, and the High Court threw out his multi-million-pound lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
Yet there is now a sudden air of optimism around him. When he travels back to the UK in September, he will stay behind the safe walls of Buckingham Palace - the very point of contention that had marred his previous arrival.
Popularity on the up
For the first time since he was seen as the cheeky royal who won hearts, Harry's popularity has started to climb. The latest YouGov survey shows Britons swaying in his favour, with 33% viewing him positively and placing him eighth, just behind Queen Camilla.
Beatrice and Eugenie now trail their cousin, with positive ratings of 30% and 29% respectively. Meghan Markle sits second from bottom on 22%, while the Duke of York remains last on a record-low 2%.
Not a landslide, but notable
This is not a landslide victory, and Harry is in no danger of overtaking his brother as the most popular royal or pushing Princess Anne down the rankings. Still, moving ahead of his two cousins is quite something.
The sisters, who have watched family turmoil from behind splayed fingers all year, may have been dragged down by association. It feels, even so, ever-so-slightly cruel.
With a quiet period for Harry never assured, the question is whether he can keep focusing on his work rather than airing grievances through every available medium. Only time will tell if the positive trend continues.
