Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s reported return to the UK is less a royal reconciliation than an “admission of failure,” according to royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, who says the couple’s decision proves they still “need the monarchy.”
Schofield exclusively told Page Six that she was stunned Harry and Meghan actually went through with plans to return, after years of publicly criticizing the institution they now apparently want to call home.
“A return to Britain is an admission of failure, whether Harry and Meghan are intellectually honest enough to admit it or not,” she said. “They left Britain telling the world they needed freedom to thrive.”
Schofield further explained that the couple should not expect the royal treatment when they arrive. “You cannot spend years insulting the establishment and then expect everyone to roll out the red carpet when California doesn’t work out.”
“I didn’t think these two had the audacity to actually do it,” Schofield added, arguing that the couple has become “deeply unpopular” in Britain while Harry continues to “pick fights” with the government and British justice system.
One detail in particular is telling for Schofield: King Charles only learned about the reported move on Sunday.
“If this were the product of some great royal reconciliation, you would expect the King to have been part of the conversation, not simply informed once the decision had been made,” Schofield said.
While Schofield acknowledges that “Harry has clearly made progress with his father,” she cautioned against conflating that relationship with his fractured relationship with older brother, Prince William.
“As far as William is concerned, I’ve seen absolutely nothing that suggests the fundamental trust issues between the brothers have been resolved.” Schofield said.
“Prince William stayed behind and carried the responsibility Harry abandoned,” Schofield noted, of the two once-close brothers. Schofield argues that it is “unfair” to William that his younger brother, “was allowed to blow up his life, attack his family, monetize private grievances and spend six years experimenting with independence, only to crawl home when it didn’t work.”
The couple stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 and relocated to California, where they pursued entertainment deals, launched new projects and built an independent life away from the monarchy.
Six years later, Schofield argues, their reported return shows that independence did not work out as planned.
“They had America, Hollywood, enormous contracts, global name recognition and every conceivable advantage,” she said. “And six years later, they’re coming back. That is failure.”
She compared the situation to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s apparent resistance to the couple’s proposed “half-in, half-out” role, arguing that royal status cannot simply be embraced when it becomes convenient.
“Royal status is not a buffet,” Schofield said. “You cannot reject the responsibility, commercialize the association and then drift back toward the institution when independence proves harder than expected.”
“Harry wanted to prove he didn’t need the monarchy,” she stated. “Moving back to Britain proves he did.”
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