Expert exposes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are coming back to the UK and now an expert has weighed in on the reason behind their bombshell decision. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent shockwaves around the world on Wednesday night after it was reported that they plan to move back to Britain, more than six years after they relocated to the US
The Sussex couple will return to the UK later this month – making their home in a non-royal residence outside of London – and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools. It is understood there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family. Now, a PR expert has speculated the real reason behind their decision.
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Renae Smith, founder of PR and branding agency The Atticism, told the Daily Express: “Let me start with the golden rule of my industry: people do things for their own benefit. Always.
“So whatever the official framing ends up being, the simple truth is that for some reason, Harry and Meghan have decided the UK now holds more opportunity for them than the US does.
“Nobody swaps Montecito sunshine for British drizzle out of sentiment. Something in their calculation has changed, and that is the real story here.”
Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals in early 2020 for a new, financially independent life in the US.
Despite various claims that the duchess did not want to “set foot in Britain ever again,” the couple returned last month and met with the King and Queen, as well as their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The private family gathering took place at Highgrove House and was kept under wraps until after it was over.
Ms Smith added: “We simply do not know what is driving this. Perhaps Meghan is ready to try again properly. Perhaps Harry wants to be closer to royal life, or even wants a way back into it.
“Perhaps there is family news we are not privy to that makes being on the right side of the Atlantic suddenly matter. Any one of those would fully explain this decision, and the honest answer is that none of us on the outside know which it is.
“What I will say is that a move this drastic is never done on a whim. This will have been discussed, negotiated and planned for a long time before we ever heard about it.”
The King, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.
But their status will remain the same, with the couple not offered a “half-in-half-out” option regarding their roles.
The Sussexes’ decision raises the question of how the news will be met by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
William – a future king – is estranged from his brother after Harry levelled a barrage of accusations against the prince, Kate, the King and Queen Camilla in the years since the Megxit crisis of 2020.
The move is also likely to spark debate about how the British public will react to the U-turn, given the criticism the Sussexes have levelled at the Royal Family and the monarchy.
A YouGov poll found last month that only 22% of Britons see Meghan in a positive light, compared with 65% who hold an unfavourable opinion of the former actress, with 33% seeing Harry positively and 58% negatively.
The Telegraph and Sun – which both broke the story on Wednesday night – reported that Archie, seven, and Lili, five, will start at their new schools in September.
The Sussexes will retain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base.