Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK last month, but with no working royal role and little public visibility, their presence risks being seen as 'pointless', writes Chris Riches.
A carefully managed return
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came back to the UK not exactly with a fanfare, but certainly with a PR machine orchestrating their carefully managed Megxit U-turn. It caught everyone on the hop, including His Majesty King Charles, who reportedly wasn't even aware they were heading back, let alone for good and enrolling Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet into schools.
The Cotswolds has been their new home, and not surprisingly, they have left California for the UK celebrity-haunt equivalent in the south west of England.
Not working royals
King Charles made it clear within days of the family landing in a private jet at Birmingham Airport that they are still not working royals, so they must not be treated as such. In fact, Buckingham Palace gave its wrist a little slap by stressing to all UK officials and the public that they weren't even minor royals and that "their position is akin to private citizens."
Meghan and Harry hit back by saying they prefer to see themselves as "public figures". But so far, we simply have not seen the couple at all.
Rare appearances and local tensions
Harry put his head above the parapet once when he appeared the other week at an Invictus Games 2027 build-up event in London, but that's pretty much it. Instead, we have heard lots of reports of them rocking up at Cotswolds' pubs or shops and allegedly annoying locals with their intrusive security antics, such as being brought in via back doors like VIPs.
Local Cotswolds WhatsApp groups are said to be buzzing with anger at their privileged treatment.
A return focused on wealth
Megxit was an attempt to seek financial freedom and earn more than taxpayers would pay them as working royals. Their return is simply the same thing: a way to exploit UK business opportunities after the US ones all dried up.
The Sussexes are in danger of spending their lives as insignificant minor celebs who the Royal Family do not trust, who turn up to an occasional red carpet event - but whose sole focus is on the endless acquisition of wealth.
