Rumors of a royal reconciliation have been rife after Prince Harry met King Charles for tea during his brief visit to the UK.
The meeting fueled suggestions that Harry, 41, was hoping to return to the UK with wife Meghan Markle and their two children—Prince Archie, six, and four-year-old Lilibet.
However, any suggestion that the Duke of Sussex will be welcomed back into the royal fold quite so easily have now been dashed by royal sources.
Onlookers were previously speculating that Harry may be willing to take an alternative role amongst the newly ‘slimmed down’ royal family.
However, an insider with “knowledge of the meeting” said that King Charles is not willing to make allowances for Harry, due to a rule introduced by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The guidelines that were previously put in place stipulate that members of ‘The Firm’ don't undertake official duties if they are being paid for work elsewhere, and must fully commit to being an active member of the royal family.
Therefore, if Harry was to rejoin the royals back in Britain, he would have to give up the lucrative deals both him and his wife Meghan previously made with Netflix and Spotify, as well as publishing deals.
While it has never been publicly confirmed, it was thought that Meghan and Harry made a $100 million deal with streaming giant Netflix to make and produce content for them. Elsewhere, the Spotify deal was thought to be worth $20 million.
As a royal source told The Times, “The King has been absolutely clear in upholding his late mother’s decision that there can be no ‘half-in, half-out’ public role for members of the family.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Harry told the publication that the Duke is not seeking any such deal. “The duke has made it clear that the focus has to be on his dad,” they said. “Beyond that, and on any other issues as it relates to his family, we won’t be commenting.”
The news comes after King Charles allegedly ‘tested’ his son with the hour-long meeting at Claridge House, to see whether any details about what was discussed were leaked.
Following the meeting, Harry told The Guardian that he felt justified in releasing tell-all autobiography Spare in 2023: “I know that [speaking out] annoys some people and it goes against the narrative. The book? It was a series of corrections to stories already out there.
“One point of view had been put out and it needed to be corrected. I don’t believe that I aired my dirty laundry in public. It was a difficult message, but I did it in the best way possible. My conscience is clear.”
