PRINCE Harry’s fleeting UK trip without Meghan proves he’s trying to have his cake and eat it – but he can’t be half in, a royal expert says.
The Duke of Sussex made his latest solo trip to these shores to attend the WellChild Awards yesterday, where he met seriously ill youngsters and their families.
Meanwhile, today he has touched down in South Africa in support of his charity Sentebale – the latest in his faux royal tour of the world after a stop off in New York.
Meghan has not joined him for any leg of his globetrotting – and hasn’t accompanied him for any of his four UK trips this year either.
It comes after the Sun revealed Harry had been in contact with old friends and aides about a potential return to the UK.
Royal expert Phil Dampier agreed Harry’s current activities are mirroring his previous duties as a royal, something he stepped away from in 2020, but it won’t lead to a return to the Firm.
“He wanted to have his cake and eat it,” he said, referring to Megxit.
“He wanted to be half in and half out of the Royal Family.
He wanted to carry on with his attachments to the military, where he was attached to certain units and certain patronages and certain charities as a royal, but still be able to go to America and commercialise other things.
“And, of course, the late Queen Elizabeth made it perfectly clear to him that that just wasn’t possible.
“He couldn’t be half in and half out. You can’t have members of the Royal Family exploiting it for cash, basically.”
Mr Dampier said Harry has “kept in with a couple of charities”, most notably WellChild, as well as his ties to the Invictus Games, “but that’s about it”.
“He can’t start doing jobs that would see him sort of slowly coming back into the Royal Family.
“I think we’re just going to see him occasionally come back for these one off events with charities that he’s very deeply involved with, and that’s it.
“I can’t see any way back for him to to be half in and half out. That’s just not going to work… He’s basically an outcast and a self-imposed outcast.”
Mr Dampier believes Meghan not joining him for the likes of the awards on Monday points to her alleged refusal to return to the UK.
“Megan could have come to the event last night,” he said.
“She could have been there at his side. She could have presented some of the awards.
“I’m sure some of the children, some of the parents, would have been delighted to see it, but she didn’t, and there must be a reason for that, and I think the reason is that she doesn’t really have any great affection for the UK.
“I don’t think she ever did. To be honest, I don’t think she ever intended to stay in the Royal Family.
“Unfortunately, I think she was prepared to have a wonderful wedding costing millions of pounds, but I don’t think her heart was ever really in it, and I think she always planned to leave, so the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and that’s what we’re seeing now.”
Meghan Markle will be EXPOSED if she returns to UK
A ROYAL expert has claimed Meghan Markle will be “exposed” if she returns to the UK, which is why Prince Harry is pushing his court case.
Biographer Robert Jobson appeared on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, and argued that the Duke of Sussex is worried his wife won’t be protected during visits.
Speaking to The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, Robert claimed: “The fact is, he [Harry] believes that when he brings his wife with him, she will not be afforded the protection that he feels is necessary.”
The royal expert claimed if Harry doesn’t fight the current situation, the royal feels Meghan will be left “exposed” due to them not having adequate protection.
He continued: “The reality is, he doesn’t believe that is what he’s going to get, and that’s why he’s taking the court case.”
Harry lost the right to close protection after stepping back as a working royal.
Read the full story here.
Harry and Meghan undertook a faux royal tour to Nigeria and Columbia together earlier this year, but Mr Dampier thinks Harry has clearly had a change of direction.
“At the moment, Harry’s definitely branching out on his own,” he said.
“I think he’s decided that when they went on their trips, certainly the recent trip to Colombia, and before that to Nigeria, you can see that in those situations Meghan is very much the star, and tends to dominate proceedings and tends to attract the attention.”
Mr Dampier continued: “I think he feels a little bit like a spare part, and I think that’s sort of dawned on him in the last few months, and so I think he’s definitely started to try and strike out on his own.”
He continued: “I think it’s at some point in the night in Montecito, in their mansion there he’s woken up and it’s suddenly dawned on him that he has become somewhat isolated, and that he needs to start doing things.
“He needs to start carving out some stuff for himself. And I think we’re going to see more of that.”
The Sun has approached the Sussexes representatives for comment.
