Relations between the Duke of Sussex and “the Firm” have gradually weakened since 2020, when he and his wife Meghan stepped down from their royal responsibilities and moved to California.
Ten years ago, he was one of the most popular members of the royal family. Now settled in California, Prince Harry celebrates his 40th birthday on Sunday, unpopular with the British and cut off from his family.
“I was anxious at 30, I’m enthusiastic at 40s,” the prince said in a statement to the BBC. “No matter how old I am, my mission is to continue to be present and do good in the world.” he continued.
He talks about his two children, Archie and Lilibet, aged 5 and 3, who gave him “a new perspective on life”. Thanks to them, it is still said “more motivated to make this world a better place”.
He plans to celebrate his 40th birthday with his family in California on Sunday. But his statement made no mention of the British royal family, after years of tension.
“He is completely isolated and he will remain so. Any suggestion of a return even with a minor role within the monarchy seems to me completely unrealistic.”Pauline MacLaran, professor at Royal Holloway University, told AFP.
“Trust is broken”adds royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. The Duke of Sussex’s ties with “the firm” (the nickname given to the royal family) were strained in 2020 when he and his wife Meghan stepped down from their royal duties and moved to California.
Rupture
What’s next? An explosive interview between the couple and American Oprah Winfrey, during which they revealed that a member of the royal family had questioned, when Meghan was pregnant, what skin color their son Archie would have, and a highly critical Netflix mini-series in late 2022.
The final blow came in early 2023 with the publication of “Spare”, the prince’s uncompromising and unfiltered autobiography.
The book, a huge bestseller translated into 16 languages, was seen as a full-scale attack on the institution that saw him born and on those close to him. Harry targets his brother William, Queen Camilla, his sister-in-law Kate, adored by the British, and his father, King Charles III.
“If it had been possible to fix things, it would have been done already”estimates Mark Garnett, professor at Lancaster University, to AFP.
In February, Harry assured the American channel ABC that he was “on” that his father’s cancer could bring the royal family together. A few days earlier, he had jumped on a plane alone to pay him a brief visit in London. “I think he is very naive about the damage he has done to his family.”analyse Pauline MacLaran.
Occupy space
According to her, if the king can consider reconnecting with his son, Prince William would not be on this line. “I don’t see reconciliation in the near future”adds royal commentator Robert Jobson, who compares the two brothers to “two deer whose antlers are hopelessly entangled”.
The last public appearance of the two princes together was in September 2022, for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The British tabloids, which Prince Harry has strongly criticized, are merciless towards his couple.
In royal polls, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now find themselves at the bottom of the rankings, alongside Prince Andrew, who has been sidelined from public life following a sex scandal.
The fact remains that the Duke and his wife are not without projects. Among them, the preparation and promotion of the Invictus Games, the sporting event he founded for war veterans, the next edition of which is scheduled for Canada in February 2025.
They also just wrapped up a mini-tour in Colombia. If royal tours are “tools at the service of British diplomacy”, those of the Californian couple are “a way of refining their brand image”assure Pauline MacLaran.
Above all, she emphasizes, these trips are a way of occupying public space. “After all, the only thing that sets them apart from other celebrities is their royal titles.”.
