King Charles Urged to Wait 'a Year' Before Inviting Prince Harry to Royal Family Gatherings
A source close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed the couple was open to spending Christmas with King Charles, but royal experts think it will take ages before the Sussexes participate in a royal family gathering going forward.
Richard Fitzwilliams discussed Harry and Meghan's potential return to the U.K. in an interview.
"The King has always been clear that the door is open to Harry and Meghan," Fitzwilliams told an outlet. "At present, there is something of a circus about royal events."
The commentator wondered if the Sussexes' change in attitude toward Charles was due to their rocky start in Hollywood.
"Given the Sussexes' behavior until relatively recently, might it not be wise to wait a year before inviting them? Whatever the good intentions after the telephone call with Harry on Charles’s birthday might be, the Sussexes have remorselessly trashed the royal family for years," Fitzwilliams noted.
"They now see their popularity affected in the United States as a result of it," he continued. "If they want to be accepted back they should surely, over the coming months, show some loyalty to the institution."
Despite the Sussexes' feud with the Windsors, Fitzwilliams acknowledged the cultural significance of Harry and Meghan being spotted in public with Charles.
"The King as monarch is a symbol of national unity and obviously, at Christmas, it is a time for family unity. With this, must also come trust and there is currently a deep rift in the royal family," he explained. "Without doubt, Charles would appreciate the chance to see his grandchildren."
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While Charles and Harry begin to rebuild their relationship, the PR expert predicted Prince William and Kate Middleton were opposed to being around the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
"William and Catherine also need to be convinced that, if Harry and Meghan do want to spend special occasions with the royal family, they won’t leak details to their friends or subsequently launch attacks to sell books or boost ratings," Fitzwilliams continued.
"A trial period might well benefit all those involved," he added.
OK! previously reported journalist Jennie Bond believes the Princess of Wales has no desire to break bread with her American-based in-laws.
"I think Catherine has been badly hurt by Harry's brutal attacks on William, like his decision to reveal so much of what went on during their disagreements [in his memoir Spare]," Bond said.
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In Meghan and Harry's various tell-alls, the Sussexes attempted to paint Kate as rigid, and Kate's inner circle noticed the pain it caused her.
"Things have gone too far and she feels upset and, quite frankly, hurt and insulted," Kate's friend revealed. "No desire to communicate with Harry nor Meghan."
"Too much has happened, and she's not ready yet," the insider continued. "William wants his relationship with his brother to improve, but they're not speaking right now. So when that will happen is still uncertain."
During an episode of Harry & Meghan, the former actress recalled her first time meeting with William and Kate.
“I was a hugger and have always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that was really jarring for a lot of Brits,” Meghan stated. “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.”
“There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you are like, ‘Oh, great. We can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me,” Meghan confessed.
Fitzwilliams spoke to The Express.