Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are 'Running out of Time' to Rejoin Royal Family

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship with the royal family is fractured, but one expert argues they have their best shot are reconciliation if they start with King Charles III.

By Michael Hein

It's no secret that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are on the outs with the rest of the British royal family, though the details are a little hard to pin down, changing from report to report. The Daily Mail's Diary Editor Richard Eden recently argued that the Sussexes have become "irrelevant" on the outlet's talk show, and said that they need to reconcile with the rest of the family. He believes they are "running out of time" to do that, as they need to make it happen while King Charles III is still alive and in charge.

Eden said that "time is running out to come back while [Harry's] father is still king," and that Prince Harry and Markle are "not wanted" by the rest of the royal family. He believes that they will not be able to mend fences once Prince William takes over the monarchy, as the rift between the two brothers has become too great. He spoke under the assumption that Prince Harry and Markle want to return to their royal titles and duties in some capacity, though so far they have never hinted that they would take that opportunity. However, Prince Harry has made it clear he hopes to repair his personal relationships with his family.

"If Harry wants to come back at any stage, he needs to do it while his father is still King," Eden said. "I really think that when Prince William is King, I can't see him letting Harry come back and have a role again. They are irrelevant now, they are just not wanted as part of the monarchy. Maybe there could be some radical change but it's hard to see."

Eden also claimed that Prince Harry was "central" to the royal family's plans in years past, saying: "We saw that at Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 where it was just Harry and his brother, Camilla and Charles and of course, the queen. Charles thought that when Harry had a family, they would be carrying out engagements and sharing those duties with William so, I think time is running out."

That contradicts Prince Harry himself, who wrote in his memoir Spare that Markle was never invited tot take on a role as a working royal. In fact, according to the prince, he had a meeting with his father in 2017 about his intentions to propose to Markle and what their life would look like once they were married. The king reportedly asked if Markle would "want to carry on working," and Prince Harry said that she would rather "be with me, doing the job." The king replied: "Hmm, I see. Well, darling boy, you know there's not enough money to go around... I can't pay for anyone else. I'm already having to pay for your brother and Catherine."

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Prince Harry wrote that he and Markle even suggested several compromises to the royal family, with arrangements that would allow him to continue working for the monarchy at a reduced capacity, allowing him to live with Markle overseas part time while she continued acting. He said that these were all rejected, and growing strain in the palace led to the Sussexes' departure from royal duties altogether in 2020.

It's unclear if anything has changed in terms of finances and available work that would open up a space for Prince Harry and Markle to come back into the fold. There's no indication that that's what they would want either, as they have lives and careers going strong now in California. So far, none of the family members have commented publicly on Eden's speculation.

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