Speculation over a possible return into the royal fold of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and what role could they be given started swirling not too long after the couple announced in January 2020 that they intended to step back as working royals and relocate to North America.
King Charles, who at the time was still the Prince of Wales, took part in the negotiation of their exit terms during a high-profile meeting held in Sandringham more than four years ago.
Publicly, however, he has mostly concealed how he feels about his second son’s departure from the Firm and the country.
Though, on one occasion, he seemingly let royal fans catch a glimpse of his affection for the Duke of Sussex.
During an engagement he carried out in February last year at the University of East London’s Stratford campus, the King exchanged greetings and shook hands with many students lined up to see him.
During the walkabout, one man mentioned the thorny issue of the Duke of Sussex’s absence from England and the working Firm, as he shouted: “Bring back Harry please, can you please bring him back please, Sir?”
Seemingly failing to hear who the man was speaking about, the King asked, “Who?”, before being told: “Harry, your son.”
The monarch then provided a blunt four-word response before quickly moving on, as he said: “It would be nice.”
Discussions about a possible return of Prince Harry as a working member of the Firm made a comeback earlier this year, after it was announced within only a few days that two prominent royals were battling health issues.
Amid the prolonged absence of two key members of the Firm from the public eye, commentators discussed whether the slimmed-down Royal Family would benefit from at least a temporary return to royal duties of the Duke.
But a similar scenario has been deemed “highly unlikely” by sources. One told Vanity Fair: “The idea of Harry coming back to the UK to carry out engagements on behalf of the King is highly, highly unlikely.
“There is a carefully mapped out contingency plan in place if the king is unable to carry out public-facing engagements over the coming months, and none of these involve Prince Harry.”
Over the past few weeks, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne have been steadfast in leading the Royal Family’s public work and continued carrying out their duties, as have done other working royals. On Thursday, the Queen was joined by the Duchess of Gloucester in presenting the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education at Buckingham Palace.
