MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry will reunite with the Royal Family this weekend to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
But while the event could create the perfect opportunity to heal the ‘rift‘ between the Firm and the Sussexes, one royal author has claimed building bridges is the last thing on Meghan‘s mind.
Speaking to The Celeb Report, Howard Hodgson did not predict that the Jubilee would mark a significant improvement in relations between Harry and his family.
He said: “I don’t think Meghan wants it to be repaired, because if it was repaired, that might get Harry wanting to come back and play his role.
“In a way, Prince Charles doesn’t want any focus going in that direction, he wants a straight-line focus on him, William, George.”
However, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the Queen will “go out of her way” to welcome Meghan and Harry back into the fold with some “special gestures”.
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He told The Celeb Report: “There’s this rift with the Sussexes and it’s been really damaging.
“My own feeling is the Queen will go out of her way to be as generous a host as she possibly can.
“Nobody wants a repeat of what happened at the rather extraordinary Commonwealth Day, with the Cambridges and Sussexes actually looking hostile to each other.
“Anything like that is not going to happen now… I wouldn’t be surprised if there are special gestures to make them feel welcome.”
Mr Fitzwilliams emphasised that the row has been painful for both sides, adding: “I don’t think it’s an advantage in any way at all for the Royal Family to have a couple who cause trouble from time to time ‒ and Oprah was really big trouble.
“And it’s not beneficial to them [Meghan and Harry] ‒ they owe everything to the Royal Family and their royal connections.
“Everything good that happens, all these connections they have with Netflix and Spotify and so forth, they wouldn’t have if they weren’t royal, so it’s in everyone’s interest that things develop positively.”
While there may still be tensions, Mr Hodgson said they will remain professional and not let it show on the day.
He said: “They know their job is to be the Royal Family.
“Royal families, when they are behind those big gates and those big gates are closed, they argue, they row.
“From that point of view, there may be quite a lot of nasty words said, but that won’t happen in public.”
Balcony ‘surprise’
Earlier this month it was revealed only working royals will join Her Majesty for the traditional balcony appearance.
That would exclude Prince Harry and Meghan, who “stepped back” as senior members of the Firm in January 2020, and Prince Andrew, who was sacked from royal duties due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
But Mr Fitzwilliams suggested there may be “a surprise or two” during the Jubilee celebrations, including a second balcony appearance featuring the whole extended Royal Family.
He said: “I think what they’re going to do at the end is have the whole Royal Family, the extended Royal Family, at the balcony at some point.”
He argued it “makes total sense” because it includes everybody and will be “a bit of a surprise” for the public.
Mr Hodgson added: “I’m sure they will be on the balcony, all of them that want to and turn up to be.
“I think behind the scenes, life might not be so smiley in private, but that’s like all families.
“And I think that Andrew, if he wants to be on the balcony, will be. It is his mother’s Jubilee – but I don’t think you’ll be seeing very much of him in terms of public duty.”
Queen ‘very frail’
There have been concerns about the Queen’s declining health in the lead-up to the Platinum Jubilee, after she dropped out of several public engagements.
However, more recently she has been seen out and about with mobility aids, including a buggy at Chelsea Flower Show and a walking stick at the opening of the Elizabeth Line.
Mr Fitzwilliams warned Her Majesty’s mobility “varies from day to day”, so it’s hard to predict how involved she will be with the Jubilee celebrations.
He added that the devoted monarch will be as involved as much as she possibly can.
The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour every year since the beginning of her reign 70 years ago, bar one summer in 1955, when the whole event was cancelled due to a national rail strike.
Discussing the Queen’s increasing frailty, Mr Hodgson noted that there has been “quite a sharp, swift decline” in recent months.
However, he said: “At 96, she has every right to grow old gracefully and keep her frailties to herself and not to be put on public display.
“If you don’t see very much of her, it is because she is either very frail or her mind is not quite as active or able as it was.
“But that happens to us all, and most of us don’t get to 96, so I think they are just going to protect her from that.”
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He added that the combined effect of Prince Philip’s death in April last year, and the reduction in her duties due to the pandemic, will have made it difficult to keep up.
He highlighted the Queen’s motto – one “has to be seen to be believed” – and suggested a virtual appearance could be on the cards if the monarch is not able to be at an event in person.
