Prince Harry has ‘no interest’ in leaving the United States and returning to royal duties in Britain, sources claim.
The Duke of Sussex has reportedly sought advice from trusted former aides on how to mastermind a return to the UK — nearly five years after he and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped down as senior royals and decamped to Montecito.
But sources close to Harry, who turns 40 next week, told the Daily Telegraph that he is settled in California with Meghan, 43, and their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
They also claim that Harry has an ‘amazing’ new set of friends in the United States and several projects on the horizon.
He is currently preparing for a trip to New York where he will take part in engagements connected to his various charities, including the Halo Trust and the Diana Award.
The Mail on Sunday revealed last week the Duke had turned away from his ‘Hollywood publicists’ and resorted to texting former confidantes ‘from his old life’ on how to mastermind a return from exile in the US.
It marks the first stage in a potential strategy to ‘rehabilitate’ Harry and repair his relationship with his father King Charles following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Sources stressed that Harry and Meghan, who have spent the past four years living in self-imposed exile in California with their two children, are not seeking a permanent return.
The newspaper also revealed that the couple have parted company with yet another American PR adviser. Christine Weil Schirmer joined the Sussexes in 2020 as head of communications but left quietly late last year.
She is the tenth staff member to have left the couple in three years and last month took up a job with PR giant Brunswick advising clients on reputation management.
Last month, it emerged that the Sussexes’ chief of staff Josh Kettler had suddenly quit his job after scarcely three months.
‘Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and is seeking counsel from his old friends and associates,’ said a source.
‘He is clearly reaching out thinking, “I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working”. In short, he is rethinking the way he operates.’
Prince Harry’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
Ending his rancorous feud with his brother William is not seen as a realistic goal, but last week this newspaper revealed that the King may be open to healing the rift with his youngest son, and had consulted with faith leaders as he explores the nature of forgiveness.
At least one of the advisers approached by Harry is a trusted figure ‘from the old school’ known for loyalty and discretion.
One friend has already devised a strategy for how Harry might begin moving in UK circles again – even carrying out ‘very low-key royal duties’ – although the Duke is said to be open to ideas from many sources.
A source said the friend ‘believes if Harry comes back to the UK with zero fuss, and does zero publicity and attends very mundane events, he could prove himself and win over the British public again.
He would have to accept, though, that he might be reduced to ribbon cutting for a long period. But it would give him purpose to work again.’
But the source said it would only happen ‘if certain members of the family could find it in themselves to allow it’.
Separately, the Duke has sent conciliatory messages to a number of old friends in the UK on WhatsApp. They are ready and willing to help him smooth a path back to Britain, with some referring to their task as Operation Bring Harry In From The Cold.
Friends are hoping the Duke’s former private secretary Edward Lane Fox might spearhead a comeback. One said: ‘If anyone can do it, Edward can. Last time I saw him I wanted to take him by the shoulders and say, “Ed, please bring our boy home”. It’s the right time now.’
Asked about helping Harry, Mr Lane Fox told this newspaper: ‘It’s not something I’ve got a view on I’m afraid.’
Although Harry’s relationship with his brother is feared irreparably damaged, the Duke has seemed less embittered of late.
To his family’s relief, he has decided against updating his acrimonious memoirs, Spare, for its paperback edition, due out on October 24, and will not be giving interviews to publicise it.
On Thursday, the Prince flew from his Montecito mansion to join his estranged brother, The Prince of Wales, for a memorial service for their late mother’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes.
The service took place at St Mary’s Church close to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, but witnesses told The Mail the brothers ‘kept their distance’ and were not seen to speak to each other.