**Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: The Impact of Their Royal Exit on Family Dynamics**
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals in January 2020, their decision sent shockwaves through the United Kingdom. The couple’s move to California marked a significant shift in their roles within the royal family. Although they retained the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they no longer hold the designation of His and Her Royal Highnesses. This title adjustment is one of the few definitive outcomes of their departure, leaving many wondering how this “emancipation” has impacted their relationships within the royal family. While the royals themselves have remained tight-lipped, their actions suggest a family dynamic that has become increasingly distant.
**Prince Harry’s Recent Visits to the U.K.**
Since his dramatic exit from royal duties, Prince Harry has made several visits to the U.K., each marked by a sense of formality rather than familial warmth. In February 2024, he returned to London for a brief 45-minute meeting with his father, King Charles III, following the announcement of the king’s cancer treatment. This visit was one of several Harry has made, often in connection with his ongoing legal battles against various newspaper publishers. Notably, in May 2023, Harry attended his father’s coronation alone, without Meghan by his side. However, the couple had previously reunited for the queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and her funeral later that September.
During a visit on May 8, Harry attended a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, a sporting event he helped found for injured veterans. Despite this important occasion, Harry did not meet with his brother, Prince William, or his father, King Charles. Royal expert Emily Andrews noted that the king’s packed schedule did not permit time for a visit with his son,
Missing Trooping the Colour
**Prince Harry’s Ongoing Exclusions: A Series of Snubs and Strained Relations**
Prince Harry’s strained relationship with the royal family has been underscored by a series of notable exclusions and perceived slights. For the second consecutive year, Harry was notably absent from Trooping the Colour, the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade, an important royal tradition. Additionally, he was not invited to the wedding of Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, who is also the godfather to Harry’s son, Archie.
According to royal expert Emily Andrews, “It has been humiliation after humiliation for Prince Harry. He has broken so many bonds of trust with so many people that it is difficult to see him ever attending a society wedding or Trooping the Colour again.” Andrews further suggests that Harry’s estranged relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales stems from ongoing hurt and unresolved issues, preventing any reconciliation or meeting.
**A Loss of Place and Warmth**
An insider source reflects on Harry’s current position, stating, “The reality is he’s lost his place among Britain’s high society. There are days when Harry says he can’t take it anymore—the slights and the coldness coming from the palace make it feel like he’s no longer part of that family.”
The most recent exclusion involves Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s summer estate in the Scottish Highlands. Despite Harry’s childhood visits to the estate, he and Meghan have reportedly never been invited to the family gatherings held there, highlighting a continued separation from royal traditions and connections.
Keeping his Loved Ones Safe
In any event, Prince Harry is reluctant to bring his wife and children to the U.K. due to safety concerns. Meghan received genuine threats while she lived in the U.K. according to Neil Basu, the former head of counterterrorism for the Metropolitan Police. So when the couple lost their police security after their emancipation, Harry worked to try to get security reinstated, although High Court Judge Peter Lane upheld the decision to reduce the security despite Harry’s offer to pay privately for it. Harry plans to appeal this case.
“The U.K. is my home. The U.K. is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States,” Harry said in a statement in 2022. “That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil. I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
The Tabloids’ Actions Against the Royal Family
Harry’s war against tabloids continued when he won a phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers in December 2023. Unfortunately, he feels that this objective is a “central piece” of his schism with the royal family, though he is unable to provide a definitive response since “anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” he stated. “I’ve made it quite obvious that this is something that must be done. It would be lovely to do it as a family. Again, I feel that as public servants, we should be doing these things for the larger benefit. But I’m doing this for personal reasons.
However, he claims that the late queen encouraged his desire to challenge those who allegedly utilized illegal techniques to obtain information about him and his family. “We had many conversations before she passed, this is very much something she supported, she knew how much this meant to me,” added the guy. “She is up there going, ‘See this through to the end,’ without question.”