An 'Inappropriate' Homecoming: Prince Harry's U.K. Christmas Reunion Could Become a 'Circus' for Royals
For weeks, rumors of a royal homecoming for Prince Harry have circulated, but the beleaguered Duke's return home may not be the best idea.
"He may send messages to his family, and we had these reports before Endgame. But I mean, it would be highly inappropriate," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams shared.
"If you look at the polls in America, you see the fact that simply making money by trashing the royal family is not the way forward for them. Harry was exceptionally critical of the royal family in a variety of television interviews promoting Spare, not to mention the book itself, where he was seen as so bitter. The point with this is that the Sussexes are completely unpredictable. They're also untrustworthy," he added.
The royal author continued: "This is not a background on which you could have a relaxed Christmas. You can't trust the Sussexes. As for Harry wanting to return to the U.K. and Meghan not, all of this, of course, is a rumor. So who is spinning what?"
Some royal analysts claim such rumors are being manufactured by those close to the Sussex family, while Harry and Meghan Markle's defenders claim it is the Crown "feeding the PR machine." Regardless of which side is or isn't guilty of press manipulation, King Charles III did extend invitations to his Montecito family members to numerous high-profile royal events this year — but most were ignored.
This has helped many shed insight into how you can now expect any Buckingham Palace invites to "likely be avoided" by Team Sussex, if for any other reason than to "avoid embarrassment."
"Again, you don't know what's true and what isn't, but the answer certainly is to keep them at arm's length. They won't come. So much of King Charles's reign has been overshadowed by the Sussexes — by Spare, by the court cases, by the so-called 'near catastrophic car chase,' and by Endgame. I mean, it's become a circus, so they won't come," Fitzwilliams observed.
For these reasons and many others, analysts are mostly uniting in their belief that Harry and Meghan will not show up for their first royal Christmas since 2018. The image of the senior and junior monarchy members walking together to and from church on the Sandringham estate has become iconic. Charles III and his advisers likely want to keep this expected photo opportunity as a chance to show the Crown united.
"The main thing will be solidarity. The fact that only 15 months ago, the Queen was still with us. People will think back and also remember Prince Philip. The emphasis will be on family unity and solidarity. And the fact that they've done the right thing in not commenting on the recent furor," the commentator concluded.
GBN interviewed Fitzwilliams.