ROYAL FAMILY NEWSFormer Palace Press Secretary Says Prince Harry Has 'No Possibility' of Reclaiming Working Royal Status Despite U.K. Return
Former palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter stated that Prince Harry has 'no possibility' of regaining his working royal position despite returning to U.K.
Sept. 7 2026, Updated 4:28 a.m. ET
Prince Harry has "no possibility" of resuming his position as a senior working royal despite moving back to the U.K., per former palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter.
In his new book, On Duty With the Royals, the former royal staffer noted as much, explaining that “Harry burnt his bridges.”
Former Palace Press Secretary Dickie Arbiter Weighed in on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's U.K. Return
Former palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle criticizing the royal family in public 'burnt bridges' for them.
Arbiter stated that the real damage was inflicted on the royal family not when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior working royals and moved to America, but in the years that followed.
“Not so much when he left the royal family, but what he did in the intervening time, talking to Oprah, rubbishing the royal family, rubbishing the British people, rubbishing the country,” he said.
Dickie Arbiter insisted that King Charles will not sway on Prince Harry's 'half in, half out' proposition.
“That's [returning as a working royal] not an option. And [King Charles III] is adamant he's got to stick to what his mother said,” he added.
“There's no half in; it's in or out. You've chosen out; out it is going to remain,” the author insisted.
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Dickie Arbiter Claimed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's New Life in the U.K. Might Not Be Very Smooth
Dickie Arbiter said the bond between Prince William and Prince Harry might be broken forever.
The former royal staff also noted, “You can't just waltz back into a country and expect everything, everybody to roll over.”
“It's never going to be the same as it was; there is always going to be that element of mistrust,” he continued.
He also alleged that the bond between Prince Harry and Prince William might be broken forever after the way he criticized him and his wife, Kate Middleton, publicly.
“In trying to settle old scores, he has inflicted new wounds that may never heal,” he stated.
The rift between the once-close brothers is also facing scrutiny as the 30th death anniversary of their mother, Princess Diana, approaches.
Dickie Arbiter said Prince William and Prince Harry might project an united front in public to commemorate Princess Diana's 30th death anniversary together.
Per Arbiter, while a reunion between them might be implausible at the moment, they might still commemorate the death anniversary together, while maintaining a “very clear separation” to make sure that their family tensions don't take center stage during the solemn occasion.
The former palace staff, who worked with the royal family from 1988 to 2000, also pointed out, “The key to reconciliation is an acknowledgement that [Harry's] not the victim.”
“He is the one who has victimized the royal family, victimized the British people. And until such time, he acknowledges that. And until such time, he apologizes, apologizes and means it. It's going to be very difficult for the great British public to accept him back,” he wrote.
