Prince Harry may have made a “mistake” by failing to tell King Charles about his plans to return to the UK during their recent meeting, a royal expert has suggested, as tensions between the Sussexes and the Royal Household appear to be rising again.
The Duke of Sussex has returned to Britain with Meghan Markle for an “extended period” after years of living in the US. But what some had hoped would be an opportunity to rebuild family ties has instead been followed by a fresh public disagreement over the couple's position.
Expert points to missed conversation
Speaking to Jane Garvey and Fi Glover on Times Radio, royal editor at The Sunday Times Roya Nikkhah suggested Harry could have handled one aspect of his previous visit differently.
She said: “I think the slight error, possibly on Harry's side, is that when he came in July and had that lovely meeting, we are told, with the King at Highgrove, with the kids and with Meghan and Camilla, I think it might have been a slight mistake not to have discussed the fact that he was thinking about moving back to the UK a few weeks after that, because the whole move back has really taken the Palace by surprise.”
Roya said the development had also caught the monarch off guard, which she believes explains why the King has now sought to make his position clear.
“It's taken the King by surprise, and I think that's why the King feels he needs to do all this clarification,” she said.
She suggested that more advance warning could have prevented the latest dispute, adding: “I think had there been a little bit more of a run-up to think about it, we might not be in this situation now.”
Uganda withdraws from Invictus Games
The comments come as Uganda has withdrawn from Harry's Invictus Games, with the country's military chief saying it would “not participate in anything” without the King's “approval”.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba told The Times that the decision was intended to quash support within the military for “that Harry-Meghan nonsense”, adding: “I support the monarch. Period.”
His remarks came after Charles reiterated that Harry and Meghan are private citizens in a letter sent by royal aide Lord Benyon.
The Lord Chamberlain's office contacted government departments and the military after requests for guidance following the Sussexes' return. The letter also confirmed that Harry and Meghan do not use their HRH styles, while security matters should be referred to police authorities.
Team Sussex were reportedly given around an hour's notice of the letter and did not have time to clarify its contents. The couple are said to prefer the description “public figures”.
Worries over father-son relations
Roya said the latest developments represented a worrying turn in relations between Harry and his father.
“But I think people hoped that some bridges had been built, but this is effectively a horrible war of words between father and son again, which you sort of hoped, by them coming back, we might have seen the back of, but I don't think we will,” she said.
She added: “I just think their re-entry to life here is going to be very, very difficult.”
The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 before moving to the US. They have now returned to Britain with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, enrolled in British schools, while Meghan has also been linked with a possible return to acting.
