The politics of Harry and Meghan's UK return

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

On Monday, it was announced that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be returning to the UK for a surprise visit in September. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Manchester and London to work with “charities close to their hearts.” According to a spokesperson for the couple, Meghan and Harry are “delighted” to be returning to the prince’s home country. 

It will mark the Sussexes’ first UK visit since they came back for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. 

Meghan and Harry joined other members of the Royal Family to honour the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Their return was highly-anticipated as Meghan had not been seen publicly with other royals since the couple’s dramatic exit from the Firm two years ago. 

While it is unknown whether the Sussexes plan to meet with members of the Royal Family during their return, one commentator has already claimed that their visit will not take priority over a busy royal schedule. 

Daniela Elser, the royal writer for Australian website news.com.au, noted that the Queen in particular may be too busy for a reunion with the couple. 

When Meghan and Harry arrive in Manchester on September 5 for the opening ceremony of the One Young World Summit, the Conservative Party will be holding their leadership vote to choose the country’s next Prime Minister. 

The next day Boris Johnson will formally resign and return the keys to 10 Downing Street.

As Ms Elser pointed out: “The Palace has already confirmed that the sovereign will interrupt her summer holiday in Balmoral to return to London for the change in leadership and as is usual will meet with not only the new PM but outgoing Johnson as well.” 

Writing for the publication, Ms Elser continued: “Not only will this ensure that the Sussexes high-wattage return will be unceremoniously shunted down the ladder into second or third place on the day, this also sets the stage for a potentially very awkward situation with the Queen.” 

Meghan and Harry are likely to stay in their former royal residence, Frogmore Cottage, during their visit to the UK. 

This means that the couple could be just a nine-minute stroll away from the Queen’s primary residence, Windsor Castle. 

Ms Elser wrote: “If the situation comes to pass that both the Queen and the Netflix dabblers find themselves only minutes drive away from one another and the nonagenarian does not make any effort to see them, then it will be nothing short of abjectly humiliating for the duo.

“If the Duke and Duchess do fly 8500km around the globe only to be cold-shouldered by Her Majesty, it would be a stinging PR blow; a blow that is unlikely to impress their Netflix paymasters. 

“After all, disaffected, self-exiled former HRHs who the amiable, widely-loved Queen won’t see make for a much harder sell to audiences.”

Ms Elser’s comments come amid wide speculation about Meghan and Harry’s multi-million-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify. 

September will mark two years since the Sussexes signed the deals with the streaming services. 

DON’T MISS: 
Meghan fears Harry UK visit will ‘pull on heartstrings’ [REPORT]
Harry erupted over royals ‘not showing sufficient respect’ to Meghan [REACTION]
Harry and Meghan pressured to give up royal status [ANALYSIS]

So far, the Duke and Duchess have released one podcast episode on Spotify and no content on Netflix. 

It is understood that the couple do have projects in the works, including a documentary about the Invictus Games and a podcast entitled ‘Archetypes’ which sets out to tackle the typecasts and stereotypes that women face. 

The couple is also reportedly filming for an at-home style documentary series. 

Camera crews were spotted following them in the Netherlands while they attended the Invictus Games and on a recent trip to New York City. 

Meghan and Harry have never confirmed the docuseries, but it has been reported that Netflix wants to release it this autumn, ahead of Harry’s highly-anticipated memoir. 

Last month, TV insiders told Page Six that the streaming giant is pushing to stream the series by the end of the year and hopes to tie it in with the new season of The Crown. 

One source said: “There is a lot to organise and a lot of things at play here. Netflix wants to make sure they get in there and don’t get scooped” by Harry’s memoir. 

It remains unclear whether Meghan and Harry will be filmed during their visit to the UK in September. 

Film cameras were not allowed to follow them during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations to avoid overshadowing the Queen’s achievement. 

Source: Read Full Article