Prince Harry has been warned he is “running out of time” to repair the rift with his estranged family, as it emerged he and wife Meghan Markle have still not confirmed whether they will be attending King Charles III’s Coronation on May 6. Commentator Hilary Fordwich said Harry’s “real enemy” was time as she warned there is little prospect of the situation being resolved next month.
She also pointed to Harry’s plan to return to the UK in June to give evidence in a second privacy case he and others have brought separate from the ongoing one involving Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers.
The lavish occasion, to be held at Westminster Abbey eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, is undoubtedly the most significant of the King’s reign so far.
However, Express.co.uk understands the Sussexes have yet to RSVP, despite their spokesman confirming last month an invitation had been received.
Ms Fordwich, a Washington-based British business development consultant who takes a keen interest in the Royal Family, suggested the couple was playing a risky game in the circumstances, adding: “Harry’s biggest enemy isn’t the royals, it’s time. Time for him is running out.
“There are two definites which enable us to predict how Harry will behave after the coronation and neither leads us to believe things will calm down.”
Ms Fordwich, who regularly appears on US television networks discussing royal affairs, explained: “Firstly, he’s always been a royal rebel. The optics of all he revealed regarding his ‘true’ character in his bear all book Spare were unfortunate at best.
“But he knows he needs headline bait as he’s running out of royal clout given his plummeting popularity in both the UK and with the Hollywood set.”
Harry was also acutely aware of the risk of becoming “an irrelevant royal”, Ms Fordwich stressed.
She continued: “He has long feared for his ‘limited shelf-life’ before he starts sliding down the royal family pecking order and the public become far more fascinated with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
“So, after the coronation he has to come up with ways to remain relevant and sadly, sensation sells.”
With the King believed to have decreed that only working royals would be permitted to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after he is crowned, Ms Fordwich also suggested such a description did not apply to Meghan and Harry.
Referring to documents released last week, she said: “Right on the heels of the Archewell tax filing where, amongst other revelations, it revealed H&M only worked for a mere one hour a week in 2021.
“This is totally inconsistent with their statement, in response to Buckingham Palace back in 2021, “We can all live a ‘life’ of service.”
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“One hour a week isn’t exactly ‘a life’. There is a vast distinction between a ‘life’ of service to others versus a self-promoting and self-serving life.
The Royal family garnered much of its respect and admiration from the public due to their focusing on the work of others, Ms Fordwich pointed out, in contrast with Meghan and Harry who were “clearly focused on their own issues”.
She added: “Prior to this tax return that might be construed as an opinion, now though the lack of time spent is a fact. Their dedication to driving dollars has clearly taken priority over any dedication to duty. “
Harry is to return to the High Court in London in June to give evidence in his claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.
The trial of four “representative” cases is due to begin on May 9 and to last for six to seven weeks.
At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Julian Santos, for Harry and other figures bringing claims, said all the witnesses on their side would be giving evidence in person.
This means the duke, who is expected to give evidence, will make a second visit to the High Court this year.
The trial in May will come after Harry made a surprise appearance at the Royal Courts of Justice in March to attend a preliminary hearing in his separate claim against Associated Newspapers Limited – the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the court also heard that lawyers for the four individuals and MGN have created draft timetables of the trial’s structure, which list the duke as entering the witness box in early or mid June.
Both timetables, which may be reviewed, suggest that evidence in Harry’s claim is expected to take three days, including opening statements, his time in the witness box and MGN’s witnesses.
Express.co.uk has contacted the Sussexes via Archewell for comment.
