Royal Expert Says Prince Harry Would Be “Welcomed Back” Into the Royal Family—But Without Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle smile at each other under a tree — (Image credit: Getty)

Royal expert Jennie Bond says that—despite the years-long rift between Prince Harry and the royal family—the family would be willing to welcome Harry back into the fold, on one very large condition: a split from wife Meghan Markle.

Per OK, Bond says “I think that Harry, without Meghan, would be forgiven and welcomed back into the royal fold in the fullness of time.” But, Bond adds, it’s “still unlikely at the moment.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle animatedly chat at an engagement

“I think there is still enough goodwill towards Harry—well, to the old Harry that we all remember,” she says. “He could recoup the ground he’s lost in time and be welcomed back. But I don’t think it’s anywhere on the horizon.”

Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell—who was in the news this week, as his name was mentioned as part of Harry’s court case against Mirror Group Newspapers—says it’s only a matter of time before Harry and Meghan part ways, leading to an eventual reconciliation with father King Charles and brother Prince William: “I have no doubt that when this happens, because we all know that it will happen, when it does happen then he will return to the United Kingdom and I think his father, the King, and his brother, the Prince of Wales, will both greet him back into the country with open arms,” Burrell says. “There is an element of Harry we all love—we just don’t understand why he’s doing what he’s doing at the moment.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle greet folks at an engagement

Don’t hold your breath, though. Insider reports that the entire reason Harry brought the phone hacking lawsuit to trial was because he wanted to stop the “hate” towards Meghan, specifically from the press. That sounds to us like a man who very much loves his wife.

Explore More

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.